It's Been So Long
by Ice Wolves
Summary: It's been ten years since Ladybug disappeared from Paris, never to be seen again. Years later, Adrien has seemingly moved on from his Lady, but a flash of red calls his attention to the fact he may not be alone in the shadows at night anymore
1. Chapter 1-A Flash of Red

Hey guys so I wrote this doc once and my internet shut off...

heh

so here we go again!

It's been a while since I have uploaded fics, but in that time, I have been improving my writing. And ever since I have seen Miraculous Ladybug, I could not get the pair out of my head, or my news feed on instagram. So here we go! A fic inspired by the lovely couple

I also don't own anything

Ten years

It had been ten years since the Akuma attack

Ten years of lonely night patrols, ten years of confusion, ten years of pain.

It had been ten years since ladybug had disappeared, and Chat Noir found himself missing his dear partner. His longing gaze cast out over the horizon, the soft lights of the city of Paris. He had grown used to the empty nights filled with only the silent whispering of the wind as it brushed his hair away. It had been a long time since he had had anyone to talk to about anything, to chase on the empty nights out.

Chat stroked the rooftop next to him longingly, his sharp claws creating a small shrill sound as they scraped the metal. It was a solid reminder of how sharp they were, how dangerous it was to be like this. Chat was his wild side, his untamable nature of mischief and horrible cat puns. His dark side, something he couldn't express as Adrien Aguste. It reminded him that he should keep away from people.

Lifting his palm from the rooftop, a heavy sigh came from the hero's lips, his feet dangling off the rooftop. The soft glow of the Eiffel Tower shone upon his dark form, shining back as he watched the sky. 'We used to sit right here, together, alone, talking about everything. Sometimes joking, sometimes serious. We always ended the night here….' He thought, leaning back on the roof. It annoyed him to no end that he hadn't been able to see her. She had probably grown up found someone else to hang out with. That was the thought that bothered him the most. He knew that Ladybug was strong; she could stand on her own. She was kind, beautiful, compassionate, and strong enough to keep herself on her feet.

Knowing her, she had moved on, and long forgotten him. What was he to suspect? She had told him of parting ways, and even though she had been his partner for how many years? It felt like a long time, but it had only been a small pocket of her life. And now, here he was, alone, with no one to accompany him. Well, he was alone besides Cora, one of the small perks in his life. She wouldn't understand it though

She never could.

'That's right, Cora….' Chat thought, looking up at the waning moon in the sky. This was once the place that held memories of Ladybug, it felt rude to tarnish it with thoughts of his fiancé. If anyone could come second to Ladybug, it was Cora. She was a sweet girl, honest and kind, but under that honesty layer came with someone who loved kicking ass, even if it wasn't as a superhero. She had a good sense of herself too, the only thing he didn't like was her constant weight tracking. It was almost an obsession for her; she could never get enough of keeping herself in shape. And, as her soon to be husband, he had to join in. It seemed she was intent on keeping him in 'model shape'. Sure, he was a model, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a cookie every once and a while.

Shaking his head, Chat stood from the rooftop, his long leather tail flicking across the rooftop to flap in the wind as he stood. The moonlight grazed his face, casting quite a long shadow across the rooftop. Watching the city below, Chat found himself still absorbed in the thoughts of his lady. He needed to move on, and he had, but it would be nice to hear from her sometime. That is, if she could spare a moment. Occasionally, the odd letter would appear in his mailbox, no return address on it, just his name and address scrawled neatly across the front in curved font. The letter was always sealed with a ladybug sticker, which he found quite childish of her, but it never ceased to make him chuckle. She never typed her letters, which he was thankful for, that way he could let his fingers trail along the smooth creases in the red paper, follow her movements through the letter. Her French was perfect, even after all these years.

A strong longing feeling pulled at Chat as he stared at the city lights. His heart was beckoning him home. His wife would surely be in bed by now, fully aware of his duty to protect Paris, but he still felt bad making her sleep with nothing but the cold sheet next to her. Turning his head, Chat headed to the edge of the rooftop. Letting the wind whip through his hair, Chat prepped for a jump.

That's when he saw it, a brief flash of red. Not just any red, the rich reflective red of a certain hero's suit.

And that's right at the moment when he fell.

A rush of wind flew past his exposed cheeks, the cold lashing feeling reminding him that cats may land on their feet, but Chat's didn't if they weren't paying attention. Grasping for anything, Chat slowly moved himself into position, landing gracefully on the railing of the fire escape. Flailing his arms outward, he let out a long breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Looking frantically back up towards the flash of red he had seen, he found only an empty dark corner. There wasn't a lick of the cherry red that he had come to only remember in his dreams. It had seemed so real, so vivid. But at this point, it could have been his imagination. Pulling out his staff, he slid up the screen part of his staff, looking to call ladybug, but all he got was static. He had stared at that static screen so many times in the last year he couldn't count them all at once anymore. Shaking his head, Chat stood at full height. 'You need more sleep, that's what you need. You don't need her anymore.' Chat reminded himself, diving off the roof, familiar with the tug at his heart as he leapt across the rooftops towards his home.

"That was too close."

The mumbled words of the breathless superhero that had pressed herself against the building on the other side of the Eiffel Tower, her chest rising and falling steadily as she wiped her palms against her thighs. Leaning back, Ladybug was painfully aware of the beads of sweat running down her back under her suit, and the tugging pain in her heart. Turning back towards the horizon, she did one last check for Chat Noir, finding him gone.

Slowly turning back towards the horizon, Ladybug drew out her yoyo, swinging it out and watching as it tugged her out from behind the building, the crisp night air stinging her cheeks as she flew across the skyline of Paris. She soon found herself on the terrace of her small apartment. Checking for any longing strangers looking at her, she slid through the door and into her studio apartment. As soon as she shut the door, she drew the curtains and let her detransform, the small red kwami swirling back in front of her.

"Marinette! He was right there! Why didn't you say anything?" The petite sprite yelled at her. Rolling her eyes, Marinette walked towards her closet, stripping her cardigan and shirt off easily as she reached for a large shirt to use as pajamas. "Because Tikki!" Marinette said, her voice muffled by the pile of clothing that was currently in front of her, "I can't just walk up and say hi after having not seen him for ten years!" She emphasized, pulling out a T shirt that had the words "Beacon Academy" printed across the grey background. Sliding it over her head, Marinette sighed heavily, rubbing her head. "Really what am I supposed to do, just show up out of nowhere? He probably hates me now. He won't even want to give me the time of day, let alone work as my partner again." She grumbled softly, her form slumping onto the bed.

It had been so long, that her once familiar kitty cat probably didn't know who she was. Running her hand absentmindedly through the short locks that dotted the back of her head. She had decided to cut it during college, and she had never gone back. It made her feel free to not have all that hair to hold back, though sometimes when she was working especially hard, she found herself pinning it back. Getting off the covers, Marinette headed towards the kitchen while her small little kwami followed. "But really Marinette, you are going to see him one day." She said gently, following her master towards the kitchen.

Sighing heavily, Marinette pulled out a small round fist sized loaf of bread, biting into it. "I don't know if I could handle all that shock at once. Heck, I'm not even sure if he could handle it. I have changed a lot, and not just a haircut…." She mumbled, her slender fingers finding the ends of her navy hair very interesting as she let the short locks twirl around her fingers. "Heck, he has probably totally forgotten me at this point…" She trailed off, taking another large bite.

Tikki groaned at the human's silliness. "Marinette, he nearly fell on his face when he caught a glimpse of you." She laughed, swirling around her head as the girl offered her a cookie. Marinette joined in, their bell like laughter filling the room as she swallowed her bite of bread. "He could have just had a bad step." She said, trying to deny the feeling that he could have missed her. It had been ten years since her parents had decided Paris was a much too dangerous place to live, moving her and all of her things out of Paris and to New York, a city that she had called home for a while before she found herself moving back to Paris. Her job as a fashion designer had provided her with ample opportunities to move to Paris, and seeing as she was going to be a featured designer in a Paris fashion show soon, it was the perfect opportunity to move her operations back to her home town. The kwami rolled her eyes and took another bite of cookie. "Well you should be going to bed soon; we are meeting Ayla tomorrow, along with the other designers and models." Tikki reminded her gently, and Marinette nodded, taking the small form in her hand. "Let's finish these snacks by the window." She mumbled, bringing the two of them to a small sofa sat right by the window, sighing as she looked over the beautiful city, and finishing off her las piece of bread.

And there you go my _**puuurrrfect**_ readers

AHAHAH it's so bad it hurts

I promise to have more horrible cat puns next time.

See you soon!  
~Ice~


	2. Chapter 2-A Autumn Morning

So I was pleasantly surprised to find that in a day a lot of people found the things I wrote! I think I had a viewer from Japan, and Jamaica, and a lot of other places, like Canada and the UK.

*Buries face into pillow*

Hi random people from around the world~ *Waves*

I'll be trying to write longer chapters, since it seems like that would be a good idea. I can't believe I wrote that last one in one night as well! It took me like three hours, but it wasn't too bad. I get distracted really easily.

At the least this gets rid of my headaches

I also tend to sneak references to other shows in my writing, if you caught it in the last chapter. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't, who knows.

So here we go! Chapter 2!

I do not own anything but the writing, and Cora of course.

* * *

As the morning sun rose over the lovely city of Paris, its inhabitants slowly rising from their slumber as the day started to break. Sun shining on the faces of the buildings, the pigeons rising to the sky as the breeze lifted the soft bell sound of birds chirping to the wind. Slowly, the sun graced the face of Adrien, who shunned away from the light with a groan, snuggling his face deeper into the soft and warm object he was cuddling. His face was greeted with long tails of brown hair sticking between his lips. Spitting lightly, Adrien found himself pulling away from his fiancé as he wiped his mouth. Soon a soft chuckle joined his frantic spitting as the woman pulled herself off the bed. "That's karma for trying to sleep in babe~" She teased, turning to face him.

As Adrien came too, he found his vibrant green eyes meeting her stormy grey ones, heaving a sigh as she pressed a gentle kiss to his nose. "Morning sleepy head." She added, pulling back her long brown tresses from her face. Adrien found himself staring back at her again, watching her slim figure pull herself off the bed, stretching her arms up to the sky. "I will go make breakfast, since I can't trust you in the kitchen after the ham incident of last week." She teased, causing her fiancé to groan.

"I already told you, it doesn't hurt to have a little meat in our diets!" He called back as he got up from the bed, heading towards the closet. He had to start the day early, even with the crisp air outside.

"Yeah well it is for a vegetarian!" He heard her voice call back sharply to him from the other room. Cringing at her mention of the cursed diet, Adrien grumbled a reply and grabbed a nice green flannel with a pair of designer jeans. Grabbing a grey shirt and a grey beanie, he headed to the bathroom. Spotting his girlfriend just through the door, her eyes seemed to follow his sleep deprived and sluggish form to the bathroom. "You sure do look like Chat Noir~" She teased lightly, causing him to jump. "Yeah, well it so happens that that purrrfect man is who I am." He teased slightly, smiling as he came out of the bathroom, his feet hurrying after as he hugged her from behind. He let his weight rest on his shorter girlfriend, who feigned his weight and bent forwards. "Ugghhh, it must be kitten me right meow, I don't have time for this." She said, her voice carrying a undertone of jest as she gently tossed him off her shoulder. The pair exchanged a laugh as Adrien headed back towards his bathroom.

Shutting the door, Adrien heaved a soft sigh. His fiancé was certainly a good distraction for him, but he still couldn't get that flash of oh so familiar red out of his head. It had haunted him all of last night, bringing back memories into his dreams that used to be occupied by sweet dreams of his girlfriend and him, or of Nino and Ayla. The two of them were doing spectacular, but Nino didn't have the guts to confess to her. He was twenty six for crying out loud! He had been pining over her since college, and here he was, still following her around like a sick puppy. Chuckling, he looked at himself in the mirror. He had let his stubble grow out a bit too much, and he sighed, reminding himself to shave it after his shower before turning on the warm water.

* * *

"Marinette! Wake up!" The small kwami complained as the loud screech of an alarm tore through the apartment. Groaning, the mass of the sheets rose upwards from the bed, a nimble hand reaching out to smash her alarm with surprising force. Slowly letting the sunset colored sheets drop off her lithe form, the golden rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window, lighting up the cerulean blue orbs that blinked in the light. Silky hair sticking up in several places, Marinette let out a exhausted yawn, her arms reaching for the ceiling as she pulled herself out of bed and walked towards the window.

Slim hands reaching for the window, Marinette threw open the windows, a cold breeze rushing in to grace her cheeks, turning them a pleasant rose color. The sound of birds chirping and the vague smell of a bakery wafted through the window, bringing along with it a smile to Marinette's face. "Isn't it a lovely day Tikki?" The woman asked enthusiastically, the soft breeze shifting some of the papers that scattered the room. But Marinette didn't notice, not one bit. She was too absorbed in the sight of Paris. Sighing, she leaned down onto the windowsill, her arms collapsing gently under her head as she looked out at the people who were taking a morning walk. "I missed these moments. The crisp autumn mornings, the smell of fresh bread, the morning dew…." Marinette mumbled softly, her voice carrying softly through the wind.

"Yes, it's very lovely Marinette, but could you shut the window please!" The small sprite groaned, shaking in the breeze. Sure, the woman was tall enough to only feel a nip from the morning breeze, but the small creature found it absolutely freezing.

"Just a moment Tikki…." Marinette said dreamily. She sat there for a few moments longer, recalling several places where she and Chat had visited so many years ago. It was funny, out of all the people she had helped out saving the world, Chat was always buried somewhere deep in her mind. Deep between the creases and folds of her brain and the years of hard studying, and failed boyfriends.

Slowly pulling herself to her feet, Marinette headed for the mirror, grimacing at her ugly appearance. "Gross, I really hate morning hair…." She grumbled, yawning again. It was only a moment before she recoiled at the strong smell emitting from her mouth. "And breath…." She grumbled, looking to her closet. She already had an outfit planned out, a nice long sleeved white shirt, with a deep cerulean blue scarf around her neck. She had a nice skirt to match, a pair of dark leggings underneath and a pair of combat boots. Her hair would be left swept off to the side and slightly more tame for the day.

"For once I thank my ability to make an outfit." She mumbled gently, taking the outfit gently off her closet door before heading to the bathroom.

* * *

Finally having finished getting ready, Marinette stood in her kitchen munching on her breakfast. Out of habit, she ended up eating a lot of things with bread in them. Laughing at herself for her silly behavior, Marinette finished up the last of her meal and walked over towards the small form sitting on the table finishing her cookie.

"Come on Tikki, it's time to go." She said, holding open her usual bag for her to climb in. With a nod, the kwami flew into the open pouch, settling herself between Marinette's phone and her keys. Smiling, Marinette took the keys from her loving kwami and sealed the bag.

Heading out the door, Marinette made sure to lock her door after her, depositing her keys back into her bag afterwards. She took in a deep breath, feeling a surge of energy rush through her veins as she opened her eyes again. 'It's now or never! Let's do this!' She thought, before she started her walk towards the elevator and her car.

After a long drive full of her favorite tunes like Stronger Than You, Marinette found herself in front of a familiar café. Her and Alya used to visit this café all the time when they were in high school. Have a cup of hot coco and talk about Adrien, but those days were over. Now it was just going to be her, and Alya, no talk of Adrien, who was now just a distant crush in her memory.

Smiling, Marinette found herself pushing open the door to the café with ease, the distant sound of a bell chiming hitting her ears as she scanned the room. It smelled like coffee beans and pastries. Smiling, Marinette let her gaze settle on her best friend from so many years ago. She had kept her signature hair style, though she had let the long tendrils grow until they reached her waist. She had pulled it back and slapped a grey beanie over it. She was wearing a usual outfit for her, which was ripped jeans, old worn out lace up convers, a blue flannel and a white shirt under it.

With a deep breath, Marinette walked herself over to the table, pulling back the chair to gain the attention of her once friend. "Hey Alya." She said gently, waving to her as she made her way to sit down. But before she could even hit the chair, her friend had wrapped her into a crushing hug. "Marinette!" She practically screamed, pulling back to smile at her friend. Her gaze alone was something that could make Marinette at ease. She always knew what to do and what to say. "I am so happy you are back in Paris! How have you been? It's been a long time since you have visited." Alya said, sitting down in the seat across from her.

Smiling, Marinette let out a sigh, looking over at Alya. "Well, I'm happy to be back. My jobs lead me here for a while, and I decided it might be a good idea to settle down again!" She said gently, hearing a loud squeal from Ayla as a result.

"You moved in already? I would have asked you to share an apartment, but my place is kind of messy." She said sheepishly, smiling up at Marinette. Marinette laughed and she shook her head. "It's fine Ayla, really. My place is a mess anyway, it wouldn't have mattered." She chuckled, taking a sip of the coffee Ayla had ordered for her. "I'm amazed Ayla, even after all these years you remember what kind of coffee I like the most~" She jested lightly, setting down her cup and looking at her.

"Oh, it's nothing Marinette, anything for a old friend." Ayla said gently.

"Well Alya, how is everyone?" Marinette asked politely, letting her kind gaze meet Ayla's. She could feel the excitement still spilling out of every inch of her skin.

"Oh! Everyone's been amazing! I ended up seeing most of the people in our tenth grade class in college as well, Adrien's been well… and Nino…" She said, letting her words trail off at the mention of Adrien's former friend. Chuckling, Marinette observed the blush spreading across her friends cheeks.

"How has Nino been?" Marinette asked, only earning an exasperated gasp from her friend.

"Marinette! I don't know what to do! I really like Nino, but he hasn't asked me out! I have tried to drop hints but it's no use! I need help." She said, pressing her cheek to the table. Alya looked absolutely depressed about this entire subject. Chuckling, Marinette put a hand on her friends head.

"Come on girl, you were the one always telling me to man up and tell Adrien how I felt back then, you can ask him out. No matter what happens, you come over to my house tonight, and we will stuff our faces with ice-cream." She said with a chuckle, running her slim hand over her beanie for a second longer before pulling it away. Out of all her friends, Marinette had stayed in closest contact with Ayla. Despite the fact that she had seen her not too long ago, Marinette still felt a bit of a divide. Pulling her hand away, she pressed her fingers together. "That is, if you want, or if it's too awkward, or you are too busy that's fine too….." She rambled on, letting out a soft laugh and rubbing the back of her head.

"No no! I would love to Marinette! It's been so long since we have gotten to properly hang out!" Alya said, grasping Marinette's hands lightly, gratefulness in her gaze as she breathed a sigh of relief.

And then came a worse part.

"So, what's the Adrien situation, since you brought it up." Alya asked, looking up from her cup of coffee, a smirk appearing across her lips as she spotted Marinette's confused look. "You know, the male you had been pining over for forever, even after you left." Alya joked, setting her cup back on the table.

"Totally over him. I need to put myself first Alya, I don't have time for boys." Marinette said with a shrug, taking a sip from her own cup. Marinette could hardly contain her laughter as Alya's jaw dropped to the floor, Marinette scrambling to cover her face so she didn't end up squirting coffee onto her friend, or her nicely planned outfit. "What? I've been gone for 10 years, he probably hardly remembers me." Marinette said, finally regaining her composure.

Heaving a sigh, Alya nodded. "Thank goodness, because at this point it's a little hard to rip him away from his fiancé." She said casually, causing Marinette to choke on her drink for the second time.

"Excuse me?" Marinette managed between coughs, covering her lips with her sleeve as she regained her breath. "He's getting married?" Marinette asked, exhasparated.

"Yeah. Strong lass she was. They meet a year after college. She's a big time fighter, strong one she is." Alya laughed, shaking her head. "A bit of a health nut, but not too bad. She's a pretty cool friend. You would get along with her Marinette." Alya said, smiling at her friend.

Nodding her head, Marinette took a sip of her drink. For some reason, knowing he was married made her heart sink a little bit. 'Oh well, at the least Chat has his lady all to himself.' Marinette thought. "Good for him." She said, sighing. "Now, about you and Nino." Marinette said, the grin returning to her face as she flipped the conversation around entirely.

Marinette stayed to chat a while with Alya, but soon enough an alarm from Alya's phone went off, and she stood up. "Got to run, job is starting soon. See you tonight at your place Marinette?" Alya asked her, raising an eyebrow as she got up from the table.

Smiling, Marinette returned the smile as she got up herself. "Of course. Usual chocolate chip cookie dough?" Marinette asked, smiling as her friend nodded her head. Parting ways with Alya, Marinette got back in her car, and started heading to the shoot. She spared a moment to look at her car. It wasn't anything super fancy, or expensive, she didn't need something like that. It was a simple little blue car, sleek, but not too expensive. It wasn't any sort of racing vehicle, it was just a car for her to drive to and from work with. It had enough room for her designs and everything, not too small, but not to big either. Rolling her eyes at her silly thoughts and dawdling behavior. 'You better get going or you are going to be late.' She thought to herself, checking on Tikki once and handing her a piece of chocolate before starting the car and heading off to work.

After a short car ride, Marinette found herself standing in front of the building. Walking, she passed security, and found herself winding her way through the corridors of the building. The room they were working in was close to the back of the building, close to the store rooms of cloth and extra items for detailing. The show was in a few months, so they had to have things at the ready to make 3 outfits each.

Soon enough, Marinette found herself in front of the door marked "Studio 5." Nerves building up inside her, Marinette sighed, her hand reaching out longingly for the handle of the door. Hesitating, Marinette let her thoughts consume her for a moment, thousands of voices whispering in her ears.

"What if they hate me?"

"What if I am the youngest there?"

"What if Chloe's there?"

"Will I be able to do this?"

"Just breathe Marinette." A soft voice called from her bag, reminding her that she wasn't alone. Smiling, Marinette patted her bag gently. "Thanks Tikki." She whispered gently, before reaching back up for the door handle, taking a deep breath and pushing it open.

* * *

Adrien groaned as he found himself walking into the building. It was a building like any other, but today was the beginning of another long project. His agent had insisted he take this job, and it had offered a promising pay, promising enough to pay for a few more things his wedding, which was a year away. His bride had insisted on having a lot of time to plan things out, since everything had to be perfect down to the shade of his shoes. Sighing, Adrien found himself walking down the confusing twist and turn of hallways and into the door labeled Studio 5.

The room was plain, mostly. There was a backdrop of white in one corner, along with a camera and a camera man. They were going to do test shoots today, get a feel for how each model posed. That, and get a picture of the designer as well, even a few with the model for comparison and advertising.

Tugging on his ponytail, Adrien was lead to a seat in front of a makeup station. It was labeled with a number 4. 'Funny, the black cat gets the number that symbolizes death.' He thought to himself. He had been given a paper with his designer's name on it, but he hadn't bothered looking. There were tons of models littering the room, two others at the other stations marked with a 4. 'So it's three models to a number huh….' He wondered, seeing the door open again, some more designers file in.

There was a wide range of people. A girl with half her head shaved and the other half of her hair to one side, piercings peeking out from her hair, and a casual punk style, a male with hair shoved upwards, sporting a sporty style, and one wearing something inspired by the Asian countries. All of which weren't his designer. Sighing, Adrien let his head flop onto his open palm, resting against his knee.

And then, the door swung open again. A collective breath was taken throughout the room, eyes swiveling towards the door. Adrien's followed to the form walking into the room. Instantly, his jaw dropped as he watched the next female enter the room. He could practically see her hips swishing with her confident stride towards her stations. She didn't even pause for a moment, her gaze serious as she walked towards a station, HIS station. Jaw still stuck to the floor, Adrien's gaze floated up to the woman who didn't even bat an eyelash at his presence, which was a stark contrast to what she had done ten years ago. Trying to grasp for the words in his mind as he stared up at the now pixie cut bearing woman, Adrien could only manage one word.

"M-Marinette?"

* * *

And there we go! Seven pages and 3 k words of awesomeness!

Can I get a show of hands on who likes pixie cuts, or has one *Raises hand quietly*

Yep, I'm a pixie cut kind of girl, if you couldn't tell XD  
Thank you to all my reviewers! I appreciate your enthusiasm so much! *Bows*

So thank you to UniKitty125, Silver Ocean Jackson, and RANDOMPERSON654 for reviewing my story.

And a special thank you for all the faves and follows, I am so happy you like my story.

This has been a weekend of updates apparently, replies should be a little slower from now on, but I find myself enjoying this story a lot, so it depends. I will try to update at the least once a week, but some might come more often. I am a high school student, it's a wonder I even wrote this much in two days =.=;;

Anyway, see you next time!  
~Ice~


	3. Chapter 3-New Beginnings

**Yay! Next chapter! I am literally writing this the day after**

 **I may have a slight problem**

 **Oh whatever, I love it. It's so much better writing about these two! It makes me feel happy that I can torture other people with cliffhangers *Cackles*  
Just kidding, I love you guys~**

 **So on with chapter 3!  
I of course do not own miraculous ladybug, just the plot and Cora, and the writing.**

* * *

Adrien continued to gape up at Marinette, rubbing his jaw as he tried to regain composure. 'Why is she suddenly here? She had disappeared a while ago…. Why?' He thought, looking up at Marinette. She had changed a lot since he had last seen her. Her hair was the most shocking part of the change. She had lobbed off the pigtails in favor of a short pixie cut, that made her look amazing. Adrien couldn't help but let his eyes wander for a moment before he was slapped back to reality by the thought of fiancé.

'Come on man, ogling over an old classmate? That would drive Cora crazy.' He thought to himself, straitening to meet her gaze. She was still quite short, she hadn't grown an inch since he had last seen her, but the combat boots were certainly helping. Seeing as he was sitting down, she currently stood a few inches above him, staring down at him with a raised eyebrow. "What was that?" He asked, as he had seen her lips move, but words hadn't registered in his brain. It was like he was blinded for a moment by all the changes.

"I said, hello Adrien." She said calmly, offering up a small smile as she extended a hand for him to shake. "It's a pleasure to work with you." She said calmly. Adrien couldn't help himself, whoever this new Marinette was; he was captured by her movements, her voice. She seemed to move smoothly, but even as she did so, he could spot the strong muscles under her shirt flexing as she shook his hand gently, moving onto the next model and leaving him speechless. Marinette proceeded to greet her other two models, Killian and Geo.

Marinette stepped back, glancing between the three of them and placing a hand on her chin. 'Adrien isn't hard to figure out; his most striking feature is his green eyes. I already know what goes good with that.' She said, recalling her extensive time as a high schooler, reading every magazine and article with a picture of him in it. He looked best in either white or black. Looking at Geo, a model with quite short cropped brown hair, and a sweet look. She could either be taken in a really sexy or a really innocent way. Smiling Marinette looked at her blue eyes. 'With her, we could go for something along the lines of a more masculine outfit on a woman, something French fashion has not seen much of in a while. Maybe a nice leather jacket or flannel of some sort….' She thought, then looking at Killian. 'We can go for a more tame look, make Adrien more rugged, considering his hair has grown out….' She thought, clapping her hands after another moment of waiting.

"Alright guys, I am going to have my makeup artists get you into simple makeup, and then we are going to do shoots. I want to see how you behave before I finish outfits for you. For now, go ahead and relax, feel free to talk, we should probably get to know each other." She said happily, putting her hands on her hips. She was happy that she was keeping cool for now. Ever since college, she had brought back that fiery spark that Ladybug always had, something Marinette wished she could translate over so she could actually speak a sentence to Adrien without stuttering, or screwing it up entirely. Pulling up a chair, Marinette sat down in between Adrien and Geo. "Adrien, you are going to catch flies." She pointed out with a laugh, seeing as his jaw was still quite slacked.

Closing his mouth sharply, the two other models shared a laugh, and Geo turned to Marinette. "Nice haircut." She said, gesturing to Marinette's short locks. Looking up for a moment, Marinette let a laugh escape her lips. "Thanks, I like yours too. It looks great on you. You have a great hairline for it." She mentioned, looking at the female as the stylists started pulling her hair back to get a good look at her face. "Keep the freckles, I like them." She mentioned to the makeup artist before looking over at Killian and then Adrien. "So, how life Adrien?" She asked him, turning her head to him.

Adrien was grateful that Marinette had decided to converse with Geo first before him. He still needed some time to slap the sense back into himself. Seeing her after such a long time was such a shock, and after last night, he was very confused. Shaking his head, Adrien found himself gazing back at Marinette as she asked him how things were going. To his surprise, he found himself being the one without words. Clearing his throat once, Adrien looked back up at Marinette. "Uh, life's going good." He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "It's a shock to see you back in Paris. It's been a long time." He said softly, trying to stay still as the people put makeup on his face, rubbing it in harshly.

Laughing, Marinette rolled her eyes. "Well yeah, sometimes you have to get back to your roots. I wish I could have stayed to at the least finish high school. I saw the graduation photos." Marinette said, leaning back her chair and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Ah, yeah, I saw your photo's too. There was a photo with some guy… Who was he?" Adrien asked, looking up at her. Marinette visibly winced at the mention of THAT guy. That stupid idiot that had her pegged for a fool. He was playing her like a tool. Scoffing, Marinette rolled her eyes. "Well Adrien, not all men are gentlemen, and he would be one of them. He was my boyfriend." She said, sighing. "But that is history now. You, on the other hand, seem to have yourself pegged with a woman, no?" She asked, causally picking lint off her leggings.

Adrien had never felt tenser in a conversation with Marinette before. In high school he always thought that he had scared her to death since she could never seem to talk to him normally. Now he felt like he was being stared down by a panther. A panther with piercing blue eyes that looked like it was content to make him her next meal. 'Since when has she been so terrifying?' He thought to himself, and he sighed. "Cora? Yeah, I proposed not too long ago." He said, a soft smile drawing to his face before he quickly erased it from his face. Marinette didn't seem to be comfortable with the conversation. And he was right. Marinette was sitting as straight as possible, picking at the invisible dust bunnies that seemed to cling to her clothing.

"So…. How did you like New York? What was it like?" Adrien offered up, starting to look back at the mirror. It wasn't like you just casually start talking like friends who were totally comfortable the day you came back after ten years of silence. Besides the odd poke or like on his photos, Marinette had completely slipped off his radar. 'That's probably why her new look hit me like a ton of bricks…' he thought, rubbing his chin.

Marinette instantly felt herself relax as Adrien asked about New York. Letting an easy smile slide onto her face, Marinette looked up. "Well, it was a lot louder and meaner than Paris, but I think it taught me a valuable lesson about courage. Out there people hardly give anyone a second glance." She said, leaning back in her chair again and folding her hands onto her lap.

Scoffing, Adrien smirked and cast a brief glance over at Marinette. "Oh but I bet I could get my way around." He said, letting his makeup team keep pulling at his face, seeing as they were almost done. Some people had already started shooting photos, while others took time to talk to their models before taking pictures.

"Oh please. Someone like you wouldn't last more than five minutes." She said, leaning forwards with a challenging glare.

"OH really? Care to take me up on that sometime!" He asked, smirking as he looked at her.

"If you can figure out a way there, you're on." She said, smiling at him. "So, let me in on the secret, what does the all famous Adrien do in his free time?" she asked him, playing with her short ink black bangs.

Grinning, Adrien felt himself relaxing a bit as the makeup people finished the last touches of his hair. "Well, I usually watch movies, or play games. I do some other things, but modeling is most of my career." He said, closing his eyes.

Smiling, Marinette perked up at the mention of games. "What are your favorite type of games?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"OH, well I really like playing some strategy games, but I find myself attracted to Grim Eclipse most of all." He said, nodding to the makeup artists as they finally let go of him. He was finally able to turn to Marinette, but instead of finding her sitting calmly in her chair, he found himself nose to nose with the girl, who seemed to have an odd sparkle in her eyes.

"Grim Eclipse! I love that game! It's my favorite out of all of them I have ever played! What is your favorite character?" Marinette asked, perching her head on her balled fists. Her eyes shone with a wonder Adrien couldn't fathom for someone bordering on 26 years of age. She looked like a small child had just seen their favorite hero in real life, or had just won a huge teddy bear at the carnival. Chuckling, Adrien smiled at the woman in front of him.

"I think Yang is the best. Her attacks are strong and explosive. She's also super confident, and her puns are the best." He said, chuckling as he listened to himself talk about this game casually. He hardly ever talked about games with people anymore. At this age there weren't a lot of interested parties in games that involved a group of women running around and shooting the crap out of some grim.

"Really? I think Ruby is the easiest. Her scythe is the best. Besides her specials are relatively useful in combat. And her regular attacks always hit more than one grim if you are in a cluster." Marinette said. Her head flicked up as another woman walked up to her. Nodding her head, Marinette turned to the other two models that were almost done being prepped. "I am heading to get headshots with Adrien, come over to the photographer when you are done." Marinette said, smiling as she got off her chair.

When Marinette glanced back, she saw that Adrien was hot on her heels. Smirking, Marinette continued to walk, letting him catch up with her confident stride. "You have to give me your steam name so I can play with you. It would be nice to play with someone I know instead of getting a bunch of randoms." She said, crossing carefully onto the white sheet that had been set down.

Marinette slowly found her way in front of the camera, smiling and giving a wave to the photographer. She seemed to shuffle around as soon as the photographer turn to her, standing there with her hands crossed in front of her. Concealing a chuckle, Adrien watched as the photographer glared at the small and fidgeting form of Marinette.

"Relax ma chère. Loosen up. Move your arms, do SOMETHING!" The photographer gasped, leaning against the table with his computer on it. "Have you never been in front of a camera?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the shy designer. Adrien was quite surprised she was so quick to resume her original nature of blushing and trying to figure out what to say.

Shaking her vigorously, Marinette smoothed back the hairs on her head, clearing her throat and attempting a cool pose, placing her hand on her right hip and making a peace sign by her left eye, leaning heavily onto one side that it looked like she was about to topple over. Unable to contain his laughter, Adrien let out a sharp gasp of a laugh, the sound sharp as it sliced through the room, cutting the noise in half and rendering the room silent. All eyes went to Adrien and Marinette, who was now presently blushing a furious shade of red and burying her face in her hands.

The photographer sighed and placed a hand on his forehead as the chatter slowly returned to the room. "Could someone please help this woman? At this rate I am never going to get a good shot." He said, looking at the model that was currently standing behind him. Normally Adrien would have loved to watch her flounder, but for some reason, when he opened his eyes next he found himself walking onto the white carpet to stand next to her, his large hands gently placing themselves onto her shoulders. "Here, let me help. Think of Nora and Ren." He said, and he took her hand, placing it onto his opposite shoulder, and he leaned down to stand at her height, offering a warm smile.

Marinette seemed taken aback by Adrien's sudden movement towards her, and took the opertunity to let out a soft laugh, taking a deep breath. 'Now is not the time to lose control Marinette. Just smile, keep going.' She thought, standing up strait. She tightened her hold on Adrien, moving her arm around his neck and smiling as if they had been friend forever. Adrien, of course, was a natural and automatically adjusted to this new found spark he was seeing in her.

Smiling, the photographer clapped happily. "Perfect! That looks marvelous!" He said, snapping a few shots. "Now switch positions please." He said, and upon those instructions Marinette let go of his neck, instead favoring leaning back to back. Adjusting again, Adrien gave a cocky smirk, looking back at Marinette who was smirking right back at him. Her face looked like it was begging for a challenge, like who could out pose the other. She adapted so easily in front of the camera, like it was a second home. 'Since when did she change so much.' He thought, smiling as she stood onto her tippy toes, leaning her face in close and giving him the longest and the hardest glare he had seen from a female.

Leaning back, Adrien could not mask the surprise that crossed his face when she leaned in. His gaze was taken over by her piercing sky blue eyes that consumed most of his vision. Blinking back his surprise, Adrien had to lean his arms, trying to keep his balance together to at the least get a few shots.

That was, until Adrien went crashing down to the ground, his long limbs falling up to the sky before landing next to him as he sprawled out on the white cloth beneath him, a slight pink tinge to his cheeks as he stared upwards. He had never been so surprised by such a small woman besides his lady. In fact, for a moment, he could almost see Marinette dawning on said costume, but he shook it from his head. 'Not possible.' He thought, rubbing his face. 'She couldn't have been someone so confident back then, but she certainly is now….' He thought to himself begrudgingly, slowly propping himself up.

A soft bell like laugh filled his ears, and Adrien raised his eyes to the girl in front of him, who was crouching down and holding her gut as she stared at him. Her face was turning red with exhaustion as she tried to catch her breath.

'We gonna play that game? Fine, I'll play.'

A grin plastered onto his perfect face, Adrien swooped forwards, his weight carrying the breathless girl off her feet and over his shoulder. Adrien made sure his muscled arms were tightly secured around her abdomen, but that didn't stop the young woman from squealing.

"Adrien! PUT ME DOWN!" Marinette thundered, her fists pummeling his back harshly as she tried to escape his grasp. Her face showed embarrassment and panic as she thrashed around in his grasp. She knew that he was strong, it was hard to hide thin yet strong muscles in magazines, though she found herself experiencing first hand that they weren't all just photo shopped. They were real and quite annoyingly so as she squirmed in his grasp.

Grinning, Adrien looked over at Marinette, making sure the camera man got a few good shots of them before he lifted her into a slightly more romantic princess hold. His hands were still grasping onto her, creating a seemingly romantic hold, but one glance into his eyes and you could Adrien wasn't planning on doing anything. He was being careful about where he put his hands and arms, and he was clearly joking with her, seeing as he knew she would cross her arms and glare at him. And she did just that, glaring up at the tall male. "Put. Me. Down." She said forcefully, waiting for him to drop her to the ground. After another second of pause, Adrien set her down on the ground.

Grinning, the photographer clapped his hands. "Perfect! Now some shots of just our designer." He said, shooing Adrien out of the way. Grinning at his ability to loosen up the designer, he walked off set and behind the camera. Marinette let her eyes follow Adrien, unable to shake the flickering vision of a tail swishing behind his back.

'Sneaky bastard.' She thought to herself, watching Adrien with cautious eyes. He seemed to be more mischievous and loose than she had remembered him being, which just made her wonder more. What had happened while she was gone? Shaking her head, she turned back to the photographer who was waiting for her. Smiling, Marinette sat down on the ground, pulling her right knee to her chest and leaning into it, offering a smooth smile to the camera. She posed for a minute, varying the expression on her face, and trying to contain her giggles as the other models in her ground, along with Adrien made funny faces and gestures behind the camera man.

Cracking up more than once in front of the photographer made her relaxed, and she breezed through the poses quickly. She did a few cool shots with Geo, some more seducing ones with Killian, and finally a group shot, portraying a shouldered fight, which had both females on the male's shoulders shoving each other, while somehow not loosing balance. The last shot ended with all of them in a heap on the floor, laughing genuinely as the photographer captured the last shot.

"Magi fique! These shots are perfect, you may go now! NEXT!" The photographer called, and the group got off the white fabric, the last remains of giggles and chuckles dispersing in the air. "Whew, I am glad that I have such nice people to work with. I will be back tomorrow afternoon to take measurements." She said with a smile, walking back to the station. The models hung behind, chatting a bit as Marinette went about packing up her things before lunch with the designers.

"She's a bit camera shy, but she walks with such confidence." Killian observed softly, watching her swaying hips as she seemed to start writing something down on scrap pieces of paper. Marinette was certainly an interesting girl, it didn't take long to see that. She had this way of moving back and forth that was adorable, he could see Killian watching her from afar. Smirking, Adrien leaned back, taking a peek over at Marinette. Her skirt was swishing ever so slightly with her movement, as she slowly made her way back towards the group. She looked quite adorable in her outfit, but Adrien could see it was carefully picked out. 'As always, style on point.' He thought, looking at her. Adrien hadn't even noticed how much more like Plagg he was now. After having so many years just him and Plagg, he had gotten used to the kwami's awful jokes and horrible puns. He even found himself making them from time to time. Shaking his head, Adrien turned his attention back to the female that was approaching.

With a vibrant smile, Marinette handed each one of them a piece of paper, handing Adrien's first. "There is my phone number. I will contact you guys when I need you to come in for hemming and fixing, etc. It shouldn't take long, but I am not sure if it would be here yet. It might end up being in my apartment because I do my best work there." She said, folding her arms and smiling. Tugging on her bag for a moment, she cleared her throat, adjusting her bag strap. "And with that, I am off to collect some ideas before lunch with the other designers." Marinette said, pulling off a smile before heading towards the door, the same invisible beat swinging through her hips. There was a pause of silence, before Killian spoke up.

"God damn…."

* * *

Marinette smiled as she let the fresh air consume her, having left her car behind in the parking lot. She loved the daytime in Paris, even if it was cold. Smiling, she placed her hands on the railing, the cold breeze lifting the smell of freshly fallen leaves and grass into the air, causing her to sigh as skipped towards the stairs. She had missed this big set of stairs that faced the Effiel Tower, the view just as sharp as the cold breeze. Sighing, Marinette picked up her sketchbook and started to draw. Her pencil left methodical swirls on the paper, amongst other random doodles as she designed the outfits for the show.

She had spent years working on designs, but it seemed that today she was feeling especially inspired. She hoped that Adrien had seen the note she scribbled on the bottom of the paper. It had been her steam ID. She hoped he would come play Grim Eclipse with her sometime, or just chat. She already had their numbers entered into her phone, seeing as they had to put it down on the application sheet. Marinette had been given them this morning. Sighing, she scribbled for a moment on her paper, setting down her pencil. It was a lovely day for sketching, and it would be a great day to run along Paris too, but it was not the right time. If anyone saw her in the daytime, the news would spread like wildfire, and then Chat would know without her seeing him first. Breathing a sigh, Marinette decided to go on a little walk.

Letting her hands pull her scarf closer to her face, keeping her nose warm as the flesh turned a light shade of pink in the freezing air. She could feel the dawn of winter rising through the crisp air. She could see the clouds sweeping across the sky, blocking the warming patches of light that crossed the leaf strewn path she walked. It looked miraculously untidy, but Marinette though there was a beuty about a little chaos. One could not always be perfect, even though she had to appear to be. One of the flaws of the job.

Running her hands through her hair, Marinette was enjoying her walk when a form breezed forwards, and strait into her gut. Groaning, Marinette was sent backwards into a pile of leaves with a crash. Looking up, she saw a familiar face next to her, bright red hair peeking out from the leaves as she shook the cursed orange objects off her. "Damn… That hurt." She grumbled, brushing a small scrape on her arm before turning to the woman with the short ink black hair.

Marinette's eyes drew up the slender form, elegantly dressed in a loose tank top and a pair of shoulder pads. Speedy but worn skates could be heard as the red haired woman scrambled backwards, surprised by the familiar sky blue eyes that had greeted her.

"Marinette?" The girl asked, a astonished tone taking over her as she stared back at the warmly dressed woman. Compared to Marinette, Alix was dressed rather scarcely. She had only a loose tank top in black, a green sports bra, some green and black pads and a pair of black and green shorts. 'At the least she chose to stick with like colors.' Marinette thought, staring at the loose clothing. Somehow, it fit her like a glove.

"Nice to see you too Alix." Marinette laughed lightly, smiling at the red haired woman. Marinette was far less shocked to see the woman still skating around Paris at this age. Even as a older woman, Alix was surprisingly young in appearance. Smiling, Marinette got up and extended a hand to the woman, helping her off the ground. "It's been a long time." She said sweetly, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Yeah, no kidding girl." Alix said with a grin, placing a hand on her hip. "You just happened to disappear ten years ago, and you don't even bother to tell me your coming back!" She teased, shoving Marinette lightly with her hands before skating in a circle around her. "How was New York?" Alix asked, raising an eyebrow as she kept her hands behind her back, moving fluidly along the ground as she did so.

"Much colder than here. A lot busier here. It's nice to be back to the crisp air and warm lights of Paris." Marinette said, letting Alix skate to her hearts content. Marinette was going to continue her conversation, when her phone buzzed; reminding her she had to get to the lunch with the other designers. Sighing, Marinette smiled at Alix. "I have to go, but if you would like you can have my phone number." Marinette said, whipping out her cellular device. With a nod, Alix grabbed her own, which was inside a padded pocket, typing in Marinette's number and sending her a text so Marinette could save the number. "Thanks Alix!" She called, before turning back towards the parking lot, heading towards her car.

* * *

Less than an hour later, Marinette found herself at lunch with the other designers. Rachel, the girl with half her head shaved, was actually good company. A little more graphic than some of the other designers, she didn't really seem like one to follow the rules, and sometimes in fashion, that was a good thing. Paul, the sporty man, was very intent on watching his calories surprisingly. Hibiki, the girl in a more traditional Chinese outfit with longs sleeves, was even more terrifying. Though soft appearing on the outside, she spoke with a sharp tongue and had a very rigid set of rules she thought women should act like, and Marinette and Rachel did not meet the standard, so talking to her was like stepping on broken glass.

The place they had lunch was a greenhouse like area, the food served on hard oak wood tables, the vibrant color of green surrounding them everywhere. The food smelled amazing, and it certainly was. Favoring Italian food, Marinette found herself with a full plate of spaghetti covered in marinara sauce, along with garlic bread. The people around her had all gotten very different meals, but they all seemed to agree on the food being of high quality.

Chuckling, Marinette let her head swivel to Paul as he made a joke, and she shoved him lightly. Most of the designers were getting along, and if Marinette wasn't getting along with them, they were getting along with Hibiki. It seemed pretty split between people who followed more modern and free form ways of design, and the sticklers for the traditional. Marinette stuck to Rachel's side for now, seeing as she seemed the least frightening in personality.

Chatting up the people around her, they discussed fashion, and all their interests. Marinette mentioned her learning in New York which sparked another entire conversation. Everything was somewhat peaceful.

And that's when the shattering sound of the glass room came rushing in.

* * *

 **While writing this chapter, I discovered how lovely of a therapeutic recipe this is.**

 **I tried to pass a test for my robotics club so bad, but I didn't make it. I have another chance, but all I feel like doing is crying right now, and for some reason writing this is making me feel much better.**

 **Lesson learned. Feel sad=Write more XD**

 **I also hate looking back and seeing my late night mistakes. Whoooopsie…. I need to pay more attention, to leave all the words in there.**

 **I also might or might not have been drawing Ladybug all week in my sketch book.**

 **Reviewer time! Thank you for reviewing Emilix311, SheenasTears, Jewels, Guest, twiflutterdazzle, The-Unnamed-Artist, Guest (again), RANDOMPERSON654, kan78, Unikitty125, CraZCloudy24, Nightmareloup, and AdrinetteGoals! Now to answer the questions from some of the reviewers.**

 **SheenasTears: Yay! PIxiecuts rock! And also thank you for enjoying my happy reuinion. We will see how long it lasts :)**

 **Jewel: You have asked and received.**

 **Kan78: MORE PIXIE CUTS TO COME**

 **CraZCloudy24: I would love to put more breaks, but the paragraphs don't make sense if I do. I have been trying to make shorter ones so it's not so, big on mobile. But I'll try. And also, yes, I am a Vocaloid nerd. So much so that I got tickets to their concert in April. #notashamedatall**

 **I also haven't finished drawing Marinette digitally yet…**

 **Nightmareloup: You will have to wait and see what I plan! I do, however, plan on making this a somewhat longer story. Why? Because romance and happiness don't come without patches of darkness, so there will be some action in here, and a lot of romance (Because I am a romance queen) and there will be at the least one twist in there that you won't see coming. I guarantee it.**

 **AdrinetteGoals: Now apparently XD**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you to for reviewing! Feel free to fave, follow, or review if you like or just read. I love to see people enjoying what I love to do.**

 **Also, it's another game of spot the fandom, since I put another one in there. Let's see if you can see one of my favorite shows besides Miraculous Ladybug, because let's be honest, if this show wasn't my fave, why would I be writing about it?**

 **See you next time!  
~Ice~**


	4. Chapter 4-Shattered Glass

**Yay! I have a habit of starting fics the day I update them. Why? Get's the ideas flowing, and so I don't forget to start the chapter where the last one left off. So it's pretty much a full day of writing.  
**

 **School has been hella stressful, and this is helping a lot to destress me. And also make me forget to do some work. Hehe….**

 **Anyway, I was really proud that the first few reviewers knew what RWBY was! I am a big fan of Rooster Teeth, I even saw Lazer Team on the 28** **th** **. It was amazing, highly recommend you see it! I have a lot of plans for the future, so I hope you can stick around and enjoy!**

 **Also, I might end up writing more as the weeks go on. Why? I just feel inspired too. And now on with the continuation of the cliffhanger.**

 **I do not own miraculous Ladybug, but I do own Cora and the plot**

* * *

The thundering crash, accompanied with a loud howl struck the café, a rain of icy crystals spreading over the designers sitting around the wooden table that contained their meals. The loud thud of a fleshy object hitting the ground along with a loud screech drew eyes towards the sky. Presently, a woman dressed in a demonic sowing outfit. Her fingernails long and pointed, they were as sharp as a knife, and long spools of thread hung from her hips. Her long dark hair was pulled to one side as she grinned down at the floor. "I hope you enjoy being an embellishment, stupid cat!" The woman yelled, her long spider like fingers plucking up a set of needles from her belt, tossing them at the form that had hit the floor. With a yelp, a black bolt shot off the floor and around the room, away from the small needles that were sent flying.

The glint of one of the giant needles brought Marinette's gaze up, one of the hand sized needles flying strait for her. Rolling easily, Marinette found herself wincing as a few shards of glass shoved into her palm. 'Curse not having latex. It's a little harder to avoid glass when you don't have a protective covering for your skin….' She thought to herself, wincing as she plucked a few pieces out of her hand.

Hearing another grunt, Marinette looked up, finding herself in the midst of another battle. Except this time, she wasn't the fearless Ladybug, fighting right at the front lines along with her partner Chat Noir. Instead she was watching his black form race around the room as the akuma attacked him mercilessly. For the first time in a long time, she felt the yearn to get up and help them fight, but she was in too much of an obvious place, and it was kind of hard to get up and sneak away when with each step she was crunching glass.

Marinette slowly pulled herself up to her feet. She was about half way up when an incredible force socked her in the gut, taking her forwards with it. Looking down, Marinette spotted a longer thicket of sun kissed hair floating behind the black form that was currently bounding around with Marinette in his arms. Rolling her eyes, Marinette let the man take her forwards, the cat carefully bounding out of the building. "Hang on tight!" He reminded her, using one hand to press her against his toned chest while the other clung to the sidewalk as he raced out of the garden and onto the pavement. Setting Marinette down a ways away, Chat looked back towards the Akuma, who was looking for them.

Shoving Marientte into a alley, Chat sighed. "It's been a while princess. Stay here. I wouldn't want you to get hurt." He said, a claw tracing her face for a moment before he slinked out of the alley and back into the street, a barrage of needles following him. Marinette couldn't see much from the alley, and she preferred to keep it that way. Pulling for her bag, Marinette opened it, looking inside. "Are you ok Tikki?" She whispered in a urgent but hushed tone as she stared at the small kwami. Thankfully, Tikki didn't appear to be hurt at all. She seemed completely fine. It was just Marinette that was a little ruffled, and sort of bleeding from her left hand. 'Well that's not going to be good for trying to sow.' she thought to herself, glaring at the hand that still had glass in it. 'At the least it's not the right one.' She thought, picking out another piece.

"I'm fine Marinette, but you aren't! Look at your hand!" She said urgently, floating out of the bag and towards her hand. The sounds of screaming akuma's and Chat's idle chatter faded as the small kwami touched her hand. "I'll be fine Tikki, I promise. It's not my dominant hand anyway." She added, shrugging it off. Sighing, Tikki floated closer to her face. "You still need medical attention though! You could get it infected if you aren't careful!" Tikki reminded her, causing her to sigh. The small kwami nuzzled her cheek before floating back to the pouch, Marinette returning her focus to the fight.

The large fight was just wrapping up, the small spool of thread in Chat's hand. Crushing it, a small black butterfly came floating out of the spool, and Chat's large claws scrambled to capture it. Marinette, puzzled as to why Chat did not just cleanse it, Marinette watched Chat pull out a little box and put the Akuma inside the box, and tucked it into his waist band. Silently slinking away, Chat went back towards Marinette, running into the alley with a panicked look crossing his face.

"Princes, your bleeding." He observed, clutching her hand with his. He looked exhausted, probably because he had just spent the past five minutes trying not to get pinned to the wall by needles. Judging by the small pin holes in his costume, a few managed to make it. "I'm fine." Marinette lied, looking at him and drawing her hand back from him.

"You need help Marinette." He said seriously, glaring at her before his hand came swooping under her legs, and the other supported her back. "I'll get you to a doctor, but we better hurry. It's in danger of being infected." Chat said, before springing into the air. Chat would hear nothing of her whines of protest as he insisted on carrying her to the nearest doctor. For the first while of her princess hold, the ride was silent, but then Chat spoke up. "I guess you decided to move back to Paris huh?" He asked her.

Marinette and Chat hadn't really talked much, aside from a few times that Ladybug had told him to look after Marinette, or when she got caught up in a battle before transforming. He had taken to calling her princess for some reason. It made her feel annoyed that he tried to boast his wooing skills all the time, but he was taking things very seriously now.

"Uh, yeah. My adventures brought me back to Paris. It's been a while." She added, looking up at him. His face was not all smiles and grins as it used to be, instead replaced with a mask of seriousness and calm. Without his ladybug, Chat had to be the deciding force. He had to be the power behind the engine because she wasn't there to tell him to shape up or keep her head on her shoulders. Marinette frowned at the Chat before her. It worried her that there was an absence of jokes and things now days.

"You seem unusually quiet and level headed now." Marinette mused, envoking a smirk from the hero as he leapt to another rooftop. "Trust me Princess, I am Purrrfectly fine. In fact, I could pounce around all day like this. Maybe even get a kiss for being heroic, that is if you feel purrfectly safe too." He joked around, throwing in a lot of cat puns to make up for his silence. Marinette wanted so badly to sock Chat in the face, but a civilian wouldn't be so mean to a hero. She was currently below him. "Oh wow! I'm so flattered! Chat Noir wants me to kiss him!" She swooned, leaning into his chest with a dramatic sigh. This only boosted his confidence more, groaning at the thought of her talking to Chat later, and him boasting about how much he had made her swoon.

"Don't be silly my dear, it would be the least you could do to thank me." He said confidently, before falling silent again as he jumped off the building in front of the doctor's office. Smiling, Chat walked up and pushed open the door, looking at the lady in the urgent care center. "Excuse me miss, but this lady here has glass in her hand and needs assistance." Chat said, putting Marinette down on the ground. Winking to her, he slinked out of the building silently and took off, leaving Marinette to watch him disappear as she was ushered down the hall.

* * *

Chat sighed to himself as he looked at the box attached to his hip. It had been ten years in the making to have this kind of system. He had to figure out how to control the little butterflies when they escaped their host. Unlike Ladybug, Chat was not equipped to handle them like she was. Sighing, Chat patted the box before bouncing off towards a specific house. It was a tall building but it did not appear like they had much going on. Sliding down the fire escape, Chat opened the window on one of the top floors, climbing inside. The rooms looked normal, a hardly used bedroom and kitchen occupying most of the space, with a little couch as well. The curtains were all draw, but there was a strange door, reinforced of course. Even with the strong door that separated the room, Chat could still hear the fluttering; almost like the silent whispers of the wind, only they would ring in his ears. Walking to the door, Chat slowly pushed it open and looked around the room at the shelves upon shelves of purple black butterflies. It had been ten years, ten years to discover that regular containers just let the butterflies destroy them. Each one was stacked on top of each other, like a perfect little community. Some were in larger treated tanks, and others were shoved in whatever he had been able to contain some of them in.

Shaking his head, Chat placed the one from his belt on the shelf next to him. 'I wonder if she can do mass cleaning…..' He thought to himself. There had been less akuma since Ladybug stopped coming around, but Hawk Moth was still chasing her down. Occasionally, things would go quiet, but more often than not, there would be one attack a week. Sighing, Chat looked at the butterflies. "Come back soon Ladybug." Chat mumbled, causing a uproar of fluttering from the room as many dormant butterflies took to the sky in their cages, the sound of the whispering increasing. Shaking his head, Chat headed out of the room, shutting the door tightly before his transformation worse off.

Groaning, Plagg floated out of Adrien's ring, looking around. "I am going to go get some camembert." He said definitively, grabbing his favorite and first love out of the fridge. Cringing, Adrien rolled his eyes. "That stuff is disgusting; I don't know how you eat it." Adrien complained, letting his body flop onto the couch and stare at the blackness. This was his own little hideaway. Cora didn't know about this, no one did but him and Plagg. It was the place that he could be himself without prying eyes. The place he brooded away from prying eyes. Here he could track Ladybug across the world. There hadn't been much since the last time she was in Paris, but he was certain the place she showed up the most was around New York. Sighing, Adrien looked at the map on the wall, pressing his chin to his hands.

Plagg floated over to the coffee table in front of Adrien, a large chunk of cheese in his hands. "You really need to face the possibility that she isn't coming back." Plagg said. "We need to start figuring out a way to de evalize the akuma again. We can't keep collecting them." Plagg said, looking at Adrien. Sighing, Adrien let his head lean back on the couch. "I know that….." He grumbled, covering his eyes before letting the darkness seep in. He liked being alone sometimes; it gave him room to think, away from the constant company of his fiancé. "Maybe I should go visit Marinette, she should be back home from the doctor by now." Adrien said, getting up to open one of the curtains. The liquid moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating the area around him as Adrien's emerald orbs gazed out at the night. "Give me a minute…" Plagg said in irritation, finishing up his cheese. Adrien stared up at the moon. He hadn't realized he had spent so much time here, but he apparently had. Shaking his head, Adrien waited for his Kwami to finish his snack.

* * *

Marinette had spent a part of the afternoon getting her hand stitched up by the doctor, and the other half prepping for Ayla to come home. It kind of sucked that she had gotten glass stuck in her hand, but it would heal much faster than normal. Shaking her hand, Marinette looked down at her phone as it buzzed slightly. Picking it up, she saw Ayla's message of being just downstairs. Smiling, Marinette tugged on her beanie. Being that it was Ayla, Marinette had put something a little more relaxed. It helped her think better too. A grey beanie adorned her head, along with a green flannel with a Cheshire cat shirt under it, which was sleeveless, and a pair of skinny jeans. Walking past a mirror, Marinette stopped, and fixed a small section of her dark bangs before walking to the door.

Not a second after Marinette had gotten to the door, the doorbell rang, and Marinette opened it, greeted by a very prepared and excited Ayla. She had a sleepover bag in one arm and a grocery bag in the other.

"I brought food~" She announced excitedly, smiling at Marinette. Laughing lightly, Marinette moved aside, letting Ayla into her one room studio apartment. Looking around, Ayla raised an eyebrow at the cool colors. "Wow, your color choice changed a lot since you were sixteen." Ayla observed, smiling and setting her bag down on the floor by the couch. "What else have I missed?" Ayla asked, before observed Marinette.

Gasping, Ayla looked at Marinette's hand. "Apparently a really bad thing, what happened to your hand?" Ayla asked, glaring at the bandages. Marinette, sheepish, chuckled awkwardly. "I was at lunch when an akuma attacked us. I got some glass in my hand, so I had a doctor take it out." Marinette explained, causing Ayla to roll her eyes. "Well, that's a shock. First day back and you already got attacked." Ayla said sympathetically before shutting the door. "What else did I miss?" She asked her black haired friend.

"A fashion change and a few first dates." Marinette said, tugging on her beanie. Smirking, Ayla kicked up her feet. "Yeah, well the fashion part I noticed but boyfriends? You really have moved on!" Ayla exclaimed, chuckling as her friend looked through the bag. Marinette pulled out a large tub of cookie dough ice cream, some peanut butter and bread, and some oreos. Chuckling, Marinette looked at Ayla. "Your eating habits haven't changed one bit though." She said, turning the can over in her hands before going to the fridge.

"Yeah, well is that a problem?" Ayla asked from across the room, her eyebrow almost disappearing into her hairline as she checked her phone, presumably checking her blog. Ayla may have had an actual job now, but she couldn't help but track Ladybug wherever she went. Shaking her head, Marinette walked back over. "Not one bit. I wouldn't change that for the world. Mostly because I still love eating like that." She said, plopping herself down next to Ayla. "I do insist that I make you some actual food for dinner. Maybe some mac n cheese?" Marinette offered. Scoffing, Ayla rolled her eyes. "Please girl, do spend so much money on me!" She insisted, her grin going wider with her joke.

Rolling her eyes, Marinette got up again, and walked to the kitchen and grabbed a pot. Tikki was currently hiding in a small bed behind a plant near the front door. Smiling, the small kwami watched the two friends banter back and forth. They made diner in tandem, adding a little bit of extra cheese as Marinette had learned when she was overseas in New York. Soon onion and ham quesadillas were also added to the list, and the two friends sat down on the couch with their delicious meal. Smiling, Marinette spared no hesitation in diving in to a delicious quesadilla, the cheese stretching out as she tugged and a wave of steam washing over her face. Ayla had much of the same result, but because of her glasses was rendered unable to see. Marinette thought it was very entertaining to watch her friend try and clean her glasses.

"So, how did it go with Nino?" Marinette asked, looking at her best friend, who froze mid bite of mac n cheese. Setting down her spoon, Ayla tried to focus on something else. "Well, I was going to, and then we got interrupted and I totally forgot!" The girl wailed, falling back onto the couch. Giving her hat a sympathetic pat, Marinette took another bite of food. "Well that means you just have to keep trying girl! For now, how about some movies?" Marinette asked, causing her tanned friend to perk up.

"Horror, or animated?" Ayla asked, raising an eyebrow at Marinette. Marinette had already gotten up and was rifling through a small cabinet of movies. Pulling out a movie called 'Avatar'. Marinette smiled and popped in the disk and sat down with Ayla. "I am switching it up with sci-fi this time." She said as the intro credits started to play. "We have a lot of catching up to do apparently. Since when do you like sci-fi?" Ayla asked her. "Since I watched this." She added, before turning the movie on.

* * *

It had been most of the night of watching movies, and at this point Ayla was out. She had fallen asleep about three fourths of the way into the tub of ice cream and Marinette found herself eating the rest of it before throwing away the bucket that once contained creamy goodness. She could still hear Ayla snoring in the background as Marinette walked towards the window. Sure, Ayla was there, but she still needed to check up on Paris. Walking towards the terrace, Marinette opened the curtain to reveal a strikingly familiar silhouette sitting on the ledge.

Almost jumping out of her skin, Marinette stared out at the silhouette on her ledge. "Chat?" Marinette asked quietly, her hands fumbling as she opened the door, sliding it aside and walking outside to the man who was standing there. It seemed he was just as surprised by her presence as he spent a few moments trying to catch his balance before turning back to Marinette.

"Hello princess." Chat said calmly, jumping down from his perch to stand in front of Marinette. She closed the door with a click and looked back at him, glaring. "Chat, what are you doing here? My friend Ayla is inside, and if she wasn't asleep she would be bouncing off the walls right now." Marinette pointed out with a stern voice, looking up at Chat.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok." Chat said, a little surprised by her sharp tone. Usually the girls he meet fell all over him, but for some reason she was regarding him with a sharp and irritated tone as she glared up at him. Groaning, Marinette shook her head. "I'm fine Chat. Just a few stitches." Marinette said calmly, holding up her bandaged hand. With a careful claw, Chat reached out to touch the bandages lightly.

"You don't need help with this right? I just, I felt so bad for not being able to fix everything again. Since Ladybug left Paris I haven't had a way to fix everything. It's not like the cat of misfortune can suddenly flick everything with a twirl of a baton." Chat said sadly, his gaze wandering off to the skyline of Paris. A gigantic weight of guilt slammed down on Marinette as she watched Chat stare off into the distance. 'If only he knew his lady was right here, and trying so hard not to fling her arms around him.' Marinette thought to herself, grasping her flannel tightly.

"But besides that," Chat started up again, looking back to her. "I like the new look. It's more, fierce than before." Chat said, tapping her head with his index finger before looking back down at the blue eyed Marinette, who still had her arms crossed.

"Thanks, I enjoy it more. In America they call it 'Hipster'." She said with a smile, tugging at her hat. "I like it also because it makes me feel comfortable and stylish." She laughed, leaning against the window as he walked around the terrace.

"Don't you have Paris to patrol though? Did you take time out of it to just to visit me? So the stealthy cat really does care." Marinette said, expecting a joke in return, but all she got was a small sigh. "Yeah, I really do. I have to. I am the only one who can save them right now." Chat said, his gaze still far off.

Marinette was really worried, she had to buck up and have Lady visit him soon. He looked like he had lost himself entirely. Like he had swapped Chat with a brooding young male who had lost all hope. 'So young Adrien.' Her mind said, before she shook it off. Walking up, Marinette put a gentle hand on his forearm.

"I am sure she will be back soon Chat." Marinette said softly. "But for now, Paris won't patrol itself. You need to get going." She added, smiling up at him. "I would really love it if you visited tomorrow though. Talking to you is fun, and you obviously need it. I won't tell a soul." Marinette promised, holding up a pinky finger.

Looking at Marinette with astonishment, Chat felt a grin pull at his lips as he wrapped his clawed pinkie around her small and slender finger. "Promise. Now then, see you tomorrow Princess." Chat said, patting her head gently before leaping off the building and over onto the next roof. Smiling, Marinette watched Chat bound away before retreating to her room and shutting out the moonlight again.

* * *

 **There we go! Another long chapter in ONE DAY!**

 **Side note, new episode today! I loved it. You all should go see it!**

 **And thank you for the few of you who reviewed in the last day, which was wallywah, RANDOMPERSON654, Marielle Chang, and CutieAnonymous! I appreciate it all so much!**

 **We also passed 2,000 views and over 70 with the last chapter I posted! Thank you all for showing your love to me! I am so grateful to have people like you reading my writing!**

 **See if you can spot more of my fave things in this chapter!  
I'll see you soon**

 **~Ice~**


	5. Chapter 5-A Old Face In New Light

**Sorry this one is a day late! I TRIED BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE**

so I slept on it and finished it in the morning!

 **I also saw a review that talked about Hibiki, and as to why she wore traditional Chinese clothing.  
As you can see, she clearly does have a Japanese name, but the way I have her planned is that she is of mixed heratige, and grew up in China. She also has high respect for all of the Asian countries and will be wearing other traditional clothing in later chapters.**

 **Now with that, onto the long ass chapter!  
I also do not own miraculous ladybug, but the plot and OC's are mine~** **  
**

* * *

The silent night wind whipped through Ladybug's hair as she looked out over the horizon. It had been a long time since she had been able to run through a city like a red canary. Even at 3 am in the increasingly chilly air she found herself with a smile, yoyo in hand as she scanned the skyline. She had promised herself that she would lay low for a while, slowly reveal herself. If she went out all at once, the entire city of Paris would be watching her every move, including Hawk Moth.

Pulling back a strand of her long dark hair, Ladybug traced the spots on her suit for a while before standing up on the roof again. The ribbons attached to the back of her head whipped around in the wind trailing from the east, bringing the lazy clouds drifting through. She enjoyed the fact that the moon light was still enough for her to be able to see at this time of night, though the fact that even now Paris seemed to be alive with life. She could hear patrons of a nearby bar laughing and singing from where she was. She almost envied enjoying life like that, but work never stopped for fashion, or villains. It had been one day since she had seen Adrien again, and since then all she got was silence. She figured that he was a busy man, or he just was so incredibly lazy that he couldn't separate from his fiancé for more than a moment to talk to anyone. 'Why is this making me so bitter? I thought I was over him! No, I am over him.' She thought to herself, shaking her head. Adrien had been a driving force behind her progress for the last day. She had bought some fabric for his outfits, and her other models, but she hadn't started putting things together yet. She had a long while to go. She would probably end up scrapping what she had anyway.

Shaking out her hair, Marinette shoved her ribbon behind her ear, turning towards the wind and leaping off the rooftop she was on. Her red suit flashed in the fading moonlight as her strong legs plowed her off the rooftop. Letting her form fall through the air, Ladybug launched her yoyo at a pole, letting her form jerk under the sudden pull from the rope. Flinging herself from the post, Ladybug watched as her form sailed back above the rooftops, the chill of the night whipping through her hair as the moonlight faded in and out.

A little ways away in Chat's akuma room, the butterflies took to flight as a calm but vibrant shadow passed the room. Whispering seeped out like a snake slithering along tiles. One particularly violent akuma began to bounce against his box, making a soft clanking noise. At this time of night, Chat had retired to his bed, to snuggle a girl who was merely a distraction from his soul mate that he believed to be lost in the fog of terrorism and akuma attacks so many years ago. Soon, the little friends of said akuma also joined in, the sound of faint tapping growing louder, more feverish, some of the shelves beginning to shake. Eventually, one of the shelves shakes just enough to knock one box loose, sending it spiraling down to the ground and smashing into a million pieces. Quickly, the small purple butterfly fluttered up towards the ceiling, drawing small slow curves through the air as it's fragile wings beat harshly against the still air.

Floating towards the door, the small butterfly followed the small draft of the door that had been slightly cracked. People who were distracted had a tenancy to end up in unfortunate situations where one forgets to do something resulting in a _ **cat**_ astrophic event. And this was that kind of event, the small butterfly floating through the small waft of fresh air, the space opening to a vast space. The small tendrils of moonlight floating through the ruffling curtain shone on the bright butterfly as it floated along the room. The whispering spilled from the crack like a waterfall, filling the room easily with the sound of fluttering wings.

Landing on the windowsill, the butterfly barely fit under the floating tendrils of the long inky curtains that dawned the room. Normally Chat wouldn't leave the window open more than a crack, but a crack was big enough to fit a butterfly. Sliding through the opening, the dark akuma, which spit out particles of energy with every flat, took to the skies, searching around Paris for its next victim.

Ladybug felt a soft sigh escape her lips as she landed on the roof top of a building half way home. She could feel the wind start to whip even faster, gnawing at her exposed skin and rendering it a flushed pink hue. She could feel her chest heave in the cold night air. She had stopped not of her own will, but because she felt that something was wrong. And not the kind of wrong where you forgot to shut the door or someone accidentally hit your car. It's the kind that ignited her sense of fear for the people of Paris, and before she knew it, Ladybug was leaping off the roof yet again, her muscles tensing as she raced towards where the feeling of dread was drawing her too.

* * *

Adrien had slipped into bed relatively early that night. He had spent too much time out he had decided. So much that he started seeing spots of red. That was usually a sign that he was getting over his head. In a while they would stop and go away, if he got a little more sleep. Or so he hoped. He couldn't keep thinking about her so early into his engagement. He had just started feeling better about life; he had given up on the one who was supposed to be there for him. After all, she had just disappeared out of the blue. But even now, Adrien found himself up and sitting by his window. No matter how much he snuggled into his fiancé, he still felt like he was betraying her, and his lady. Sighing, heavily, Adrien tugged on his long and unruly hair, letting the blond strands fall into disarray.

"Adrien, seriously. You need to stop worrying." Plagg said, rolling his eyes at his friend who kept staring longingly at the window, like any moment something would come racing by, or his lady would just appear out of nowhere. Plagg let his small body rest on Adrien's shoulder, his cat like ears twitching as he let out a yawn. For some reason, he had found himself feeling the same longing for his partner Tikki, a small kwami that belonged to Ladybug. Since she had disappeared, Tikki had gone with her as her guardian. Last she heard, the woman was set overseas, but that was all he got. For all he knew she could still be over there, but he had a feeling that something had changed. He could feel it in the air as he moved about with Adrien.

"Adrien…." Plagg spoke again, his body lifting off his master and floating towards the window. Something was stirring outside, something that meant the cat of the night would have to bite back, keep people safe. "Adrien." He warned again, firmer as he floated in front of his vision. "There is something out there." Plagg said firmly, and Adrien turned his longing gaze to his partner. Meeting Plagg's serious gaze, Adrien nodded his head, offering a hand for Plagg to land on. In a bright green flash of light, Adrien had shifted in to Chat Noir, a superhero with long canines, ears and a long tail, his longer hair tied back in a messy ponytail. "Let's go." He mumbled gently, throwing open the window and leaping out. It looked like snuggling would have to wait.

* * *

Looking around the vicinity, Ladybug strived to catch her breath as she looked down on the diming lights of France. She knew something was here, something familiar but at the same strange. She hadn't felt this feeling in a long time, the feeling of danger. Glancing down, Ladybug saw a glimmer in the moonlight that streamed through the buildings, a purple glare appearing for a second. Pressing a hand to her chest, Ladybug was forced to sit down, her slim form pressing flat against the roof and letting the wind sweep her hair upwards as she watched the stars. The only sound that filled the air was the wafting of her lungs as she stared upwards.

The soft rustling of the night air was met with a yelp and a thunk as something else passed the roofs on the other side of the street. Slowly pulling herself over to the crumbling ledge, Ladybug looked over and down onto the dark street, which revealed a dark form with a swishing cat tail and prominent ears pouncing after the small form, which had caused the flash in the moonlight earlier. The small purple and sputtering butterfly floated around on the street below, staying just out of Chat's reach as he kept scrambling after it.

"Come on you stupid fucking bug." Chat grumbled to himself, boots slamming against the ground as he continued to leap after the butterfly. "I want to go back homeeeee…." He whined loudly, the butterfly floating up to the sky as he said so. Grumbling, Chat looked up at the ever climbing butterfly. It took a second for Ladybug to process the fact that the butterfly was heading towards her. But Chat was also there. She couldn't yell out anything or he would see her!

Pressing herself back down to the rooftop, Ladybug grasped her yoyo firmly before looking back up at the sky. She could hear the distant sound of Chat complaining as he tried to find a good way to scale the building without making too much noise. Heck, waking up the neighbors at close to 4 in the morning wouldn't go over well with anyone, especially over a stupid little freaking butterfly. De attaching the yoyo, Ladybug crawled towards the butterfly that was floating up towards the very roof where she was lying.

'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.' Ladybug thought as she crawled over to a small air duct, trying to duck behind it before Chat got anywhere close to the rooftop. Holding her yoyo close, Ladybug looked back to check for Chat. Thankfully, he was still climbing, while there butterfly was currently sitting on the duct above her head. Opening the top, Marinette practically smashed the small butterfly against the vent, making a large clang.

A long pause entered the air as the person climbing up the side of the building stopped, nothing but the soft hum of her miraculous powers working to de evalize the akuma underneath. The soft sounds of climbing soon became more desperate as Chat started clawing back up the side of the building. He had defiantly heard the smack she had made. Lifting her Yoyo, the white butterfly went fluttering away, and Ladybug did the same, plunging off the side of the building.

Letting the air rush past her, Ladybug was very aware of the air that was rushing past her head and the fast approaching ground. She had to land softly, and without much noise, or Chat Noir would find her, and that would not be a pretty reunion. Finding that her luck had not failed her today, there was a canopy below her, and she bent her legs as she hit the fabric. Springing, Ladybug found herself sailing off the railing and landing gently on the concrete. She didn't have much time to stop her momentum as she sailed for an alleyway to hide in. Barely slipping between the cracks of the building, Ladybug pressed her exhausted muscles against the cold concrete, her lungs once again heaving for the oxygen her body required to do such rigorous activities. Breathing a long sigh, Ladybug heard her ear rings beep. She needed to get back, and soon, but Chat Noir was watching her closely. Since she hadn't used Lucky Charm, she still had a lot more time than she usually did.

Letting her body collapse back to the ground, Ladybug let her legs slide up the opposite wall and practically on top of her. Hey, it was warmer than lying flat on the roof, and less painful than lying on the shattered bottles next to her. She let the calm sounds of the still night invade her space like a cooling fog.

Chat Noir on the other hand was less happy about the situation. He had, yet again, seen a flash of red, this time accompanied with a bang. Sure, it could have been unbelievable coincidence, but his partner was the lady of luck. If there was any chance small events were related, it was because of her. And yet, as he searched the roof, he seemed to find that his powers were in full swing. Being the cat of misfortune, no matter how hard he searched he couldn't find his lady. It was just another painful reminder that he wasn't going to sleep for the rest of the night. That would be two nights in a row, and another large coffee….

Sighing, Chat rubbed his eyes. 'Maybe I am starting to hallucinate. I should just focus on the people around me, like Cora and Marinette…..' Chat thought, rubbing his chin. 'Wait, Marinette! She's a designer! She might be up drawing right now! At the least I hope she is.' Chat thought to himself and turned around, leaping off the roof. Seeing Marinette might give him some peace of mind. He already knew Cora would just roll over, or not be able to understand. Besides, he had been meaning to put her in his contacts.

* * *

Ladybug was still sitting there minutes after Chat had left, and as soon as she was sure he was gone, she stood from the ground, checking outside her alley before leaving. Her earrings beeped once again, reminding her she only had a minute or two left to be half way across town. Leaping into the sky, Marinette sailed by the moon, her silhouette almost like a ghost of her past, filling her with old memories. She remembered that night that she had left Chat. _'Even if I am not there, we will always be under the same moon.'_ She had reminded him among all the promises of returning in less than a year. That had been blown out of the water as soon as her parents discovered their French style of cooking was very popular among Americans.

Slipping into her room, Ladybug barely had enough time before Ladybug turned back into plain old Marinette. Her kwami floating out of her jewelry and into the palm of her hands, Marinette sighed, stroking the small kwami. "Take a good long rest Tikki." Marinette whispered, setting the small creature down on a small bed that Marinette had made just for her. Tikki deserved to have her own place to sleep, though often times the little kwami just crawled into bed with her. Pulling the small blanket over Tikki's tiny form, Marinette walked over to her bathroom. She was significantly scraped up after another night of running away from Chat Noir.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Marinette could already see that she had a nasty bruise forming on her elebow. "Great, that will need makeup tomorrow." Marinette groaned, rubbing the part of her arm that was turning a lovely shade of purple and blue. She had another scrape along her left flank and a nice throbbing bruise on her knee as well. Sighing, Marinette dropped her shirt and went back to grab her pajamas, heading to take a long shower.

Wincing as she tried to wash the dirt out of her scrape, while at the same time keeping her hand in a plastic bag was harder than she thought. Cursing under her breath, Marinette somehow managed to clean her hair and her body, including the cut. The first step after showering was bandaging the gash on her side. She was lucky her suit repaired itself, however her body took a little longer. Finishing up with the last section of gauze, letting her exhausted arms droop back to her sides. "Gah…. It's been a long time." She grumbled, blow drying her hair and throwing her shirt over her head.

Walking back out into her apartment, Marinette headed for the kitchen first. Grabbing some leftovers from her takeout dinner, Marinette popped it in the microwave, before heading for her blanket. Marinette was in the mood for star watching, and that is exactly what she intended to do. It would be nice to escape her apartment and sit outside with a warm meal. It made her feel relieved she had also paid way more for way less back in New York because having all the space she did turned her messy lifestyle into something somewhat organized for the moment. Grabbing a large blanket with a tiger printed on it, Marinette walked swiftly back to the kitchen to retrieve her meal.

The first thing that hit her when opening the door to the electrical appliance was the warm smell of Japanese takeout. She had a habit of eating not home cooked meals when she was stressed, and also because she was lazy sometimes. Going to New York seriously upped her lazy factor even though Marinette was constantly walking instead of taking a cab.

Reaching her phone and headphones, Marinette plugged the small devices in her ears. It had been such a long time since she had gotten a good quiet night, even if the night was more like morning, and her takeout was early breakfast. Sliding out her door with her blanket draped over her like a drape, Marinette sat down on the ground, placing the warm plate of food on her lap. The song 'Le Seine' floated through her ears as she watched the sky silently, the stars twinkling in the moonlight. The sight of the open sky this late at night always seemed to calm her down, especially when she often didn't sleep. She had a battle with depression in college, and sometimes it made her wonder if she would be sleepless forever. Her work didn't exactly help that. Leaning back against the wall of her house, Marinette hummed softly along to the song as she ate her meal in the starlight.

Chat, on the other hand, was back at home, sitting on his couch alone, having already typed in Marinette's number. Talking to someone at this time of night would be useful for him, as well as maybe having another friend besides Nino, Ayla, and Cora. She had once been someone he would have liked to be friends with, but she was so shy back then. Now she was anything but, a little ball of confidence with the attitude to back it up.

He was more worried about how that little ball of fury would react when he called her at 4 am. Judging by her form when he had picked her up a day or two ago, she was a lot stronger than before. She probably strived to do more while in America. She seemed to have good reflexes, despite her constant state of ganglyness. She never seemed to be able to escape nasty accidents, much like being caught up in a akuma attack and cutting her hand. Frowning at the memory, Adrien walked to the terrace, the chilly air invading his senses as he enjoyed the night air. It was good for clearing his mind, and hopefully now his heart.

Shaking his head, Adrien sat down on a small pillowed chair that sat outside, crossing his legs and drawing himself close. At this point, Adrien was so used to the whipping winds of the night that he didn't need a blanket. Finally adding Marinette as a contact he typed in a brief message to the woman.

A-'Hey you up?'

It was a simple message, not much too it. It was fairly normal, aside from that it was close to 4:30 am. What surprised Adrien more was when he got an almost instantaneous reply.

M-'Look's like someone else couldn't sleep. What's up?' It read. Oh how Adrien could picture her sarcasm and eyerolling just in that one sentence. Laughing a bit, Adrien replied.

A-'Yeah. I happen to enjoy nights under Paris' stars, which is what I am doing. You?'

M-'I am outside with a blanket and super early breakfast. I would say we should play a game, but since it so late, you probably don't want to wake the wifey.'

A-'Yeah, she should at the least sleep peacefully. How did you get so muscular?'

That last text surprised Marinette and she chuckled gently. 'Looks like he has been paying attention to my changes.' She thought to herself, before replying again.

M-'I did some martial arts training while in America. Mostly mixed.'

A-'Ah, I see. Sounds painful.'

M-'It was.'

A long stall in the conversation triggered Marinette's panic mode, sending her fingers furiously typing against the screen. The last thing she needed was to become that shy awkward girl again. She had to keep confident, even though it was so easy to fall back into routine.

M-'So, would you be up for a game tomorrow, obviously when we actually wake up.'

A-'Sure, why not. I think I added you this afternoon, while I had a little free time. It should be on your steam. Grim Eclipse?'

Marinette couldn't contain her smile, thinking of how much fun they could have playing steam games together. She played from time to time with Ayla, but Ayla was always focused on Nino and finding new news to publish. She waited a few minutes to calm herself down before responding.

M-'I'll be up around 11 probably. I guess I will see you then. Try and get some sleep.'

A-'I know, goodnight Marinette. Try and get some sleep too.'

M-'Night Adrien'

Slowly removing herself from the terrace, Marinette found herself walking peacefully back inside, with her old French music still blasting in her ears. Humming softly, Marinette closed the sliding glass door and walked over to her side table, setting down her phone before slipping under her covers and trying to lull herself to sleep.

* * *

"COME ON ADRIEN!"

Marinette had her controller pulled up close to her, her face scrunched in concentration as she glared at her screen. Marinette had gotten up a little later than expected, but Adrien had found himself at home that day, on a call with Marinette. Sure, it had only been one day, but after the first game they discovered playing as a team without hearing each other was harder to do. And thus they had got on a call. "Move your butt Yang!" She added, running strait past him to fire a few bullets at the dust infused monsters that loved to explode around her.

"Gah!" A strangled cry came from the other side of the call, signaling that Adrien had fallen, yet again. Groaning, Marinette started heading towards his player's corpse on the ground. "Man Adrien, you are awful at this." She said sarcastically. "Hey, hurry up Pixie, I don't have time to _**yang**_ around." Adrien joked, only causing Marinette to groan at his awful pun. "You are just as bad as she is." Marinette groaned, reviving the character before going back to slashing the crap out of them.

After a few seconds, Marinette let out a yelp of victory, raising her fists into the air. "AHA! We won. No thanks to you Pun Master." Marinette teased, adjusting herself in her seat before leaning back and taking a sip of her water. Even as a gamer, it was important to stay hydrated, and healthy, which is partially why she started martial art's classes. That and Ladybug couldn't keep up her physique in a city that didn't need saving.

Marinette was playfully chatting with Adrien during a pause in their matches when she felt a soft tug on the hem of her shirt. Ignoring it, as it was probably just the breeze, or Tikki trying to be comfortable, Marinette continued to chat. But soon that small tug was becoming more forceful. Looking down, Marinette spotted a small little form gesturing that Paris needed her.

"Uh, Adrien, I have to go. Besides you have work and a fiancé to get back to." Marinette said, looking at the screen. "I'll see you later?" She asked, hearing a mumbled confirmation on the other side before she shut off her call and got up.

"Tikki! Transform me!"

* * *

Chat was already half way across the city by the time Ladybug had showed up, and he was making quite impressive work of the monster at hand. It was another simple one, and soon the akuma had been vanquished. Usually Chat tried to capture the butterfly right away, but this time, when he opened his eyes, the akuma was gone, like it had faded with the mist. Searching around, Chat tried to find the akuma to no avail. Thinking it was a fluke, Adrien left it alone.

"That was really strange Plagg. First one suddenly turns white in the moonlight, and then another just disappears? Something is up." Adrien grumbled, rubbing his chin as he paced the house.

"Honey, you are going to wear a hole through the floor." Cora reprimanded lightly as she looked up from dinner. "You can stop pacing now, I am sure that things will resolve themselves." Cora said gently, giving him a soft smile before returning to dinner.

Smiling, Adrien walked back over to his fiancé, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her head. "I don't know what I would do without you, Mon Cheri." He mumbled gently, nuzzling himself into her hastily tied back hair. A soft giggle escaped Cora, and she turned back a bit to give Adrien a short kiss on the lips. "Hey, that's what I am here for, Mi amor." She said, whipping out a bit of Spanish she had learned in America before turning back their dinner of pasta. He could just set it aside. It was just a coincidence.

That was until he went back to his stash. Some of the butterflies had been disappearing. At first it was almost unnoticeable, a few at a time. But soon enough it was enough to notice. Shelf by shelf they started disappearing. From his room, from his fights, it was certainly a mystery that was driving him insane. He was almost a hundred percent sure that his lady was back, somewhere, but where was the question. She kept ducking out of his sight at the last moment, like she was avoiding him. 'It can't be though, my lady would never abandon me. Or would she?' Chat thought to himself, furrowing his brow as he stared at the monster he was trying to fight.

This one had been utterly obsessed with growing her flowers, roses to be exact. Roses that currently were chasing after the fleeing and exhausted cat. "AGH!" Chat yowled as one of the roses' prickly arms wrapped around his waist. Their spiny thorns dug strait through the mesh of his suit, scraping painfully against his skin. Feeling a slow trickle of blood draw from his stomach, Chat screamed again. Searing pain was ripping through his abdomen as the plant squeezed tightly.

"Get off you stupid plant!" Chat growled, his clawed hands ripping through the fibers of the plant. The monster quickly dissipated, leaving behind an exhausted Chat. With a cackle, the lady waved her hand, sending down another wave of seeds. "Not so fast kitty cat! I still want to show you my rose garden! Be careful of the thorns!" She cackled, new waves of dark black roses appearing around him. Their middles opened up, revealing snarling green teeth as they all screeched, heading for him.

Ducking under one arm and above another, Chat let out a yelp as he raced through the street. Ladybug was watching from a rooftop not too far away, trying to keep herself contained. Watching her former partner and friend get beat up by this monster of a plant made her feel sick. Chat was feeling much the same, as another plant wrapped its arms around Chat, another sticking it's spines sticking out of Chat's suit. A cry of pain came from Chat as he tried feebly to pry himself away from the monster.

'Well it doesn't matter now. I am at a loss. My lady, please…..' Adrien thought to himself, letting his arms go limp against the plant as he squeezed his eyes shut. He knew they would go after his miraculous, that was the final goal. Hawk Moth wanted power, and now he could have half of it. Chat had seen the last of his nine lives, there was no purpose without his lady.

Chat was all ready to give up on life right then and there, having given up. They could take it all. But soon enough, the plant let out a screech that soon turned into a howl as the plant dissipated into a cloud of rose scented air. The sharp moonlight was able to catch a flicker of red for a moment again. Raising an eyebrow, Chat watched as the flash of red darted from flower to flower, each one disappearing.

"NO! MY BABIES!" The flower lady from on top of the roof screamed, sending more seeds flying down to the ground, that took root in the thick concrete, easily out growing their brothers. Flashing by him, Chat found himself staring at a spot for half a second, but it was enough for him to have it engrained in his brain. A trail of rose petals followed the heroic character as she launched herself at the flower lady, destroying the pin she was wearing and easily causing the lady to disappear.

Chat couldn't mask the shock in his eyes. There, standing on the rooftop, yoyo perfectly placed in hand and the other on her hip, rose petals swirling around her, stood his lady. The lady he had strived to see for years, so many long nights of waiting, and wondering, and wishing and hoping that his luck would turn around. And then he made some of his own, he had fixed up all the wounds she had left behind, and then she decided to stomp right back into his heart, his life. He didn't know whether to feel happy and hug her like an old friend, or try and rip her in two for toying with his life. What he was sure of is he needed to be closer than staring at her from the bottom of a building. Quickly racing forwards, Chat climbed the side of the building as fast as he could. Claws scraping against the brick, Chat pulled himself, a decent amount of red dust coating his perfect black suit as he did so. Brushing off his suit, Chat walked up to Ladybug, who had just finished de evilizing the butterfly. Turning towards Chat, the woman nearly jumped out of her skin, shrieking as she saw Chat. Clearing her throat after an awkward moment of pause, Ladybug offered an awkward smile.

"Hey Chat…. I'm back!" She said lamely, shrugging her shoulders. 'Way to go Marinette. You said you wouldn't be gone for long, and after all this time, all this betrayal, all you have is I'm back!' She thought to herself, keeping her smile for a moment longer before letting it drop. She couldn't gauge his reaction that well from where she was, but she could tell the general reaction was not happy.

Chat couldn't hold back his surprise as he stared down the red suited woman in front of him. He wanted to kiss her senseless, but he couldn't. It wouldn't be right. She seemed like she had been avoiding him too. 'I'm not dreaming right?' Chat thought to himself, looking at her. "Bout time you decided to come back." Chat found himself spitting at her, his mouth drawing into a snarl as she looked across at Ladybug. She couldn't mask the disappointment and grief that crossed her face as Chat snapped back at her. Regret flooded her face as she ran an uneasy hand through her hair.

"Look Chat, I know I promised to be back a lot earlier than this, but I got caught up. I didn't have a choice." Ladybug said firmly, looking across at him. "Since when have your eyes carried such an unfaithful look?" She asked gently, walking towards him and reaching up a hand to touch his cheek.

Smacking her hand away from him, Chat glared at her and growled. "You could have stopped playing hide and seek, that's what. When I needed you most, you disappeared. Thanks but no thanks Ladybug, you can go crawl back to your hole. I don't need you anymore." Chat spat back at her.

Retracting her hand, Ladybug felt a wave of fear pass over her, her sky blue eyes fading to something darker. Regret passed over Chat saw the light fade from her eyes, his jaw slacking as he tried to find the words to say. But no matter how hard he tried, words wouldn't come to him. After a moment, Chat stepped forwards. "Ladybug….." He tried, reaching a hand for her, only to have her step back. With only another second pause, Ladybug backed off the roof, soft sparkling jewels floating to the ground after her. Chat could feel his own wave of anger, not at her, but at himself for being so cruel. She probably hated this as much as he did, and he openly admitted that he didn't need her. Pressing a hand to his face, Chat collapsed to his knees, soft sobs shaking his body.

"You fucking idiot." He mumbled.

* * *

 **;_; This chapter was so hard to write!**

 ***cries*  
I will make the chapters less angsty in the future, oh wait, no I won't because that's part of the story!  
This story I have planned out is going slower than expected actually, so having a lot of romance right now isn't really realistic, so it will be a while before they end up being together, but I promise it will happen!**

There will also be a lot of interesting turns to add to it. I have a good plan for what I want this to end up as, so I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to fave, follow, and review. And hey, if you know anyone else that likes Ladybug fics, go ahead and share it! Hopefully some weeks I will be able to update more than once.!  
~Ice~


	6. Chapter 6-Hot Coco and Hugs

**I am soooooo sorry this is late!  
**

 **I wanted to write, I just couldn't find the right mood for it.**

 **Also, since another one of my hobbies is robotics, I am participating in my school's robotics club. And as a important member of said club, I have to contribute a lot of hours there. And also since I want to go to college classes and ditch my high school, I have to get my grades up. That plus depression does not equal a fun equation. Anyway, I hope you like the chap.**

 **I also do not own anything but the plot, Cora, and all the angsty fluff in this chapter.**

* * *

Ladybug floated back down to her terrace, the transformation wearing off easily as Marinette threw open the door to her apartment. Her cheeks were flush from the whipping winter winds and her eyes puffy from the salty tears that stained her cheeks. She could feel her knees shaking under the weight of the burden thrust upon her shoulders. Letting her knees give out from underneath her, Marinette collapsed to the floor with a thud, loud sobs shaking her form as she leaned against the cold floor.

'I was such an idiot.' Marinette thought to herself, curling her knees to her chest. Her muscles hurt. She couldn't breathe. She felt the familiar feeling of her world crashing down. She knew that Chat was probably going to be mad at her for leaving for so long without telling him much, but his words made all her hopes come crumbling down. For once, Lady Luck had not been so lucky.

It took a mountain of convincing and coaxing for Tikki to get her friend off the floor. No amount of loving nuzzles or head pats, or offers of food would dry her tears or repair the tear in her heart. And when Marinette ended up getting off the floor, she headed straight for the bathroom, slamming the door after her. Marinette remembered vaguely ripping off her top and stepping under the cold water that was pouring from the shower head. Lifeless, Marinette slumped against the cold tile wall of her shower before sliding back down to the floor. She could see the skin colored makeup washing off and slowly trickling down the drain from her sitting position. Her side had healed up well, and her bruises were mostly gone, but she had a few more from narrow escapes.

By the time that Marinette had gotten up off the floor, her slender body was shivering. Finally turning back on the hot water, Marinette pulled back her short locks so they would stay away from her red and puffy face. Sniffling, Marinette turned off the water, letting her feet slide across the floor easily as she reached for her towel. Marinette barely dried her wet locks, running her towel over them once or twice before simply hanging it up again and heading back for her bed.

Tikki was just outside the door, trying to talk to Marinette, but she heard nothing. At this point, no smile nor frown graced her face. It was like a blank canvas without a single mark of emotion. Marinette had shut herself off, much like she had done so long ago. Ever since she had to leave Paris, Marinette spent the rest of her high school alone, trying to learn English and at the same time trying to get over her beloved crush and partner.

"Are you doing better Marinette?" Tikki asked gently, getting nothing but a dull nod in reply as Marinette walked over to her closet. Pulling out the two most comfy things in her closet, a Hatsune Miku t shirt and a pair of large sweat pants, a slid them over her slender form. Walking forwards, Marinette let her body fall limply into her covers, pulling the sheets up around her to pull herself into darkness.

* * *

Chat was in a similar situation across town. Pacing around his brooding place, Chat tried to call his lady for the thousandth time that night. He could feel the guilt tugging at him as he tried to get a hold of her. "Come on ladybug…." Chat groaned to himself, his claws clicking against the metal object in his hand. Hearing the busy tone again, Chat groaned and hung up. His ring beeping one last time, Chat slowly transformed back into his regular civilian self, Adrien sighed, placing his hands between his knees.

The slow drizzle of rain outside his apartment seemed to reflect his mood as he sat down on the end of his bed, running his hands through his hair. "Such an idiot…." Adrien mumbled to himself, his nails scraping at his scalp angrily. "I should have been nicer. She was probably waiting for the right time… or not." Adrien groaned to himself, flopping down onto his couch. All he wanted was someone to listen to his problems, to hug him, but that was kind of hard to do. He couldn't tell his wife about his problems. Sure, she knew he was a superhero, but he refrained from telling her where he was, and what it was like. It was better to keep her in the dark about that, considering that it would keep her safer if she didn't know anything.

Shaking his head, Adrien let the tears once again roll down his cheeks as he sat on the couch. The whispering from his akuma room picked up again, causing him to groan. Adrien clasped his hands over his ears, hoping to drown out the whispers to no avail. Forgetting in his aggression that being depressed only made their whispering worse, and that he had left the sound proof door open. Finally breaking, Adrien walked over to the door and grasped it. "JUST SHUT UP!" Adrien screamed, and slammed the door hard, the loud echo running throughout the room. A stunning silence filled the room after he had slammed the door, and Adrien collapsed onto his bed. Rolling his sheets up around his body, Adrien let his tears go, his sobs filling the room.

* * *

"Marinette! Get up! I have some great news!"

Marinette was regretting giving her old friend a key to her apartment when she heard the door swinging open the next morning. Marinette had shut out all light, and considering her position, was not in the mood to talk to her hyper friend. Considering Marinette couldn't talk about what had happened, having Alya around wouldn't do her any good. Well, maybe some good, but for the brooding female it wasn't something she was considering. She was considering sulking. All. Day. Long.

"Marinette! Come on, it's ladybug news! I will use my key if I have too!" Her friend called from behind the door. Grumbling a response, Marinette simply turned over in her bed. She knew that Alya wouldn't leave her alone until she opened the door, or came in herself. Marinette just prayed that Alya had changed in the last ten years.

When the door slammed open with a bang, Marinette knew that she should have thought differently. Tugging the covers over her head, Marinette groaned at her friend, curling her knees close to her chest. There was no way she was giving up this warm bed to hear about herself and that cursed cat.

"Come on Mari, what's up with you?" Ayla asked, a lace of worry entering her voice as she walked towards her dear friend. She was acting much differently than she normally did, but on top of that Mari almost never slept in with the blinds shut and the covers pulled up around her in disarray. "Hey, Mar, what's going on?" Alya asked as she approached her friend slowly. A groan escaped the covers, but no other response. Something was defiantly wrong with Marinette.

"You know you can tell me anything Mar." Alya reminded her friend as she sat down on one side of the bed, keeping her hands in her lap. "I promise I won't tell a soul." She added, reaching over the mass of covers to the area that was her head. Pulling back the covers a bit, Alya rubbed her short inky locks of hair that poked out from under the covers. "Can't." Came a gruff reply, as the sleepy and mopey Marinette rolled over, leaning into Alya's head rubs. True to her old history, relaxed instantly at the rubbing of her head, much more like a cat then she would have liked.

"Why not?" Alya protested in the gentlest voice she could muster, which sounded more like a coyote being strangled. Alya was not good at being sympathetic when not getting her way, but in situations like this, she tried to refrain from appearing too angry. A soft chuckle came in reply, and Marinette pulled her tear stained and red face above the covers, gathering the bunch that had been under her chin under her head. "I wish I could, but I can't." Marinette said gently, looking off into the distance. "It would put you and the people around me in danger. Besides, it would probably break your heart. And the last thing I need is to loose someone else right now." Marinette said gently, shaking her head and closing her eyes as she continued to let Alya pet her head.

Surprised by the sudden outburst, Alya looked at her friend, who was currently snuggling into her hand contently as she rubbed her deep blue locks. "Is that so…." Alya whispered softly as she continued ruffling Marinette's hair, slowly sliding herself onto the bed more so she could lie down next to her bestie. Letting Marinette take her time to cuddle up to the warmth of Ayla, the girl let out a soft chuckle. "I just know you will tell me some day." Ayla said gently, causing the puffy eyed girl to lift her head to meet Alya's gaze. "But for now, how about I go get us some more ice cream, and we watch movies?" Alya asked the teary eyed girl. With a vigorous nod, Alya let go of Marinette, throwing the covers off her body and grabbing her phone again. "I'll be back in just a bit." Alya said with a smile, before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Adrien woke up to the soft sound of birds, finding himself still lying in his brooding up from the bed, Adrien stretched his stiff back, popping the vertebra one by one. Being a full time superhero didn't exactly give your back a break, ever. 'It did when ladybug had my back. She would be yelling at me for not taking better care of myself.' Adrien thought as he walked over to the small kitchen to grab some of the food that he had left here, in case of a night sleepover which seemed to happen a lot since his wife was traveling in a few days, and the fact that Ladybug had left.

Rubbing his chin, which had grown a bit of stubble in the past day, Adrien pulled open the pantry, pulling out some crackers that he had shoved up there. For someone who was a working adult, he didn't like keeping food that would spoil easily here. It was just for a quick snack. Looking at the tiny saltines, Adrien swallowed them one by one.

It had been almost three days since Ladybug had left, and since then he had visited his wife, but even she proved to be not enough of a distraction. Trying to give any sort of love back was hard when someone you loved so long ago and is supposed to be your soul mate comes back out of the blue.

Hearing rustling as Adrien crunched on his cookie, he was reminded that he had a little friend called Plagg, who was currently trying to find the cheese in his bag of crackers, and started to complain when he couldn't. With a sigh, Adrien opened the fridge, taking out a wheel of camembert, Plagg's favorite. But today there was no joke, no smile and quip of humor that would lighten the mood between them, which made Plagg even more worried.

Adrien had been pining for days. He had spent all of his transformation trying to call her, and when he couldn't reach her, Adrien would spend the rest of the day wallowing around his room, the curtains casting long shadows on the floor since he had all of them drawn shut. He hadn't a clue what time it was by now, but probably late, close to night, judging by the fact the shadows on the floor where a blue hue and not a lighter color. Sighing, Adrien just leaned against the counter, his head bowed as he munched on the chips.

Suddenly, in a fit of pure exhaustion of his current state, Plagg shoved his cheese back down onto the counter, crossing his arms. "Alright, that's it. You need to man up and do something. Ladybug has clearly been avoiding you, and you need to god damn talk about it to someone." Plagg huffed, finally picking his cheese back up again. Adrien blinked as he watched his friend who was now munching happily on his cheese again. Adrien had never seen Plagg put down a piece of cheese for anything, so this was a very new sensation. Raising an eyebrow, Adrien sighed. "Well who do you suggest I go to then Plagg? There isn't much I can do anymore. Cora needs to be focused on her match right now and having a pining and mopey boyfriend doesn't really help that. And I pretty much have no friends, so who could I turn to?" Adrien asked, exasperated.

"Simple, Marinette." Plagg spit out, almost instantaneously. 'Of course, Marinette! She would understand! Heck, she seemed to have a habit of being up at this time of night, so maybe stopping by would be more beneficial. It had been a long time since he had even considered letting someone else in on his life, but Marinette seemed like she would keep her word well, and beat the shit out of anyone who tried to prove her wrong.

With a smirk and a flash of green light, Adrien let his body transform back into Chat Noir, throwing open the curtains. The moonlight glistened off his latex suit as he pushed open the window frame, letting in the frigid fall air. With a call of elation and a leap, Chat Noir took off into the night

* * *

It had been three days since Marinette had seen head or tail of Chat Noir, and she wanted to keep it that way. She had buried her nose into her work after Alya had left a day ago. After spending the night and most of the next day at Marinette's house, Alya had finally been forced to go back to work. But not before gushing about how Ladybug was back,, and the entirety of Paris was freaking out. Their lady luck had returned to her rightful home to help Chat Noir, but other sources had said that they weren't on the best of terms after she took off crying from the rooftop, and Chat Noir kept trying to call her. Avoiding the outside world and anywhere she would be reminded of the hurtful fight would help her recover.

Marinette was currently peacefully alone in her apartment, designs and sketches strewn around her, along with fabric swatches and spools of fabric. Currently Marinette had her longer front tresses of hair tied back with a small hair tie, which made her look quite ridiculous, but she didn't mind. It wasn't like anyone was coming over this afternoon, or more accurately, night. Marinette had not stopped working herself since Alya had left her house. She wanted to get these designs out, and maybe add a few other projects, keep herself busy for now.

Stuffing her pencil back behind her ear, Marinette pulled out her sharp fabric scissors, cutting up the slim piece of fabric easily. She was about half way through the cut when a knock at her door startled Marinette, almost making a wrong cut in the fabric. "What in the….." Marinette mumbled to herself, pulling her sharp cutting tools away from the fabric and standing from her chair. Weaving through the mess of objects scattered around her floor, Marinette made her way to the door, pulling it open.

What she had expected to see was her rosy cheeked friend coming in the middle of the night because Nino did something stupid, or she did something stupid. She did not expect to be greeted by the blond locks of Adrien Agrest, who looked like he had run here himself from wherever he had been. Marinette hadn't checked her computer in a while, so maybe Adrien had tried to contact her. But how did he know where she lived?

"Uh, hi. You know it's like one am right?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow. Adrien, on the other hand, was finding it very hard not to laugh at her. Marinette was dressed in a large pair of pajama pants with a loose shit, her hair tied back in a tiny ponytail that stuck out from the top of her head. For added affect it looked like she had been pulling on her hair and she had a pencil stuck behind her ear. "You look adorable like that." Adrien laughed, ruffling the top of her hair. Her hair was surprisingly silky for something so short. The small little ponytail reminded him of her as a sophomore, when every day she would wear the same jacket and bag, and the same pair of ponytails. She was cute like that, but now it seemed a little strange on her.

"Shut up." Marinette mumbled, a soft blush coating her cheeks as she brushed the small plume of hair, her fingers undoing the small hair tie and putting it in her pocket. "Seriously though, what are you doing up, and what do you need." Marinette asked.

"I needed someone to talk too, and Cora needs to stay focused right now. So I thought I would try and see if you were up at this time of night, which it seems you are." Adrien said, rubbing his long and messy locks as he looked down at the girl in front of him. "As for the address, one text to Alya did the trick for that, so no, I didn't stalk your IP address." Adrien said with a chuckle. "Can I come in, so I don't end up standing in the hallway forever?" Adrien asked her, looking around at the apartments around them. The hallway was still, not a sound besides the carrying voices of the two friends talking in Marinette's doorway. With a wave of her hand, Marinette let Adrien into her studio apartment.

The space would have been quite open if it weren't for the slew of objects surrounding a desk at one corner of the room. Most of it was fabrics and assorted thread that once belonged to a neat pile at the corner of the room but was now covering the entirety of the floor. Marinette carefully jumped over the spool of fabric that laid in front of the doorway as she walked past Adrien, going to the kitchen. "Feel free to sit by the doors to the balcony, or on it. I'll bring us hot chocolate. Do you like hot chocolate?" Marinette asked Adrien as she walked into the kitchen, starting to heat up the water in her kettle.

"Yeah, I like hot chocolate. I'll be on the deck." Adrien mumbled his voice lagging as he looked around her apartment. He had always pegged Marinette for someone who kept things organized after he had seen her on the day of the photoshoot. Back then her outfit was meticulously planned down to the buttons on her shoes, and now she was very much the opposite. It felt like he had stepped into her life a bit. Not to mention the fact that the room was in complete disarray. It looked like she had been working nonstop for almost a day at the least. It amused him that there was a good amount of green and black, some of which was on the same table at the moment. Carefully maneuvering around her creative expression materials, Adrien made his way to the balcony, opening the door. The cold air embraced him tightly as he walked out to the terrace, looking around.

There wasn't much to the small area, just a metal fence and a table with a plant on it near the right side. It seemed there was a large amount of room to sit down, so Adrien took the que and simply sat down on the cold concrete. It was going to be one frigid talk that was for sure. It wasn't as cold as the blizzard of 2020, but it was still pretty cold. Crossing his arms, Adrien let his head lean back against the metal fencing as he waited for Marinette to come back.

It didn't take her long to return with two steaming mugs, a long blanket draped behind her as she shut the door with her bare foot. She seemed to relax as she walked over and sat down across from him, her blanket spread out underneath her to protect her fair skin from the cold stone. 'Lucky duck.' Adrien thought, smiling as he took one of the cups of coco from her hands. Most of the cups were cheesy souvenirs from traveling, or just cute mugs she had liked. Marinette was using her favorite mug that was cat shaped, and his has a beautiful New York skyline on it. Chuckling, Adrien let the warmth of the liquid wash over his face as he brought his lips to the glass.

The strong flavor of cream and chocolate flowed down his throat as he sipped from the warm glass. Smiling, Adrien let the cream sit on his upper lip, chuckling as he licked it off a few seconds later. "You know, for someone who cusses and jokes a lot, your food is pretty sweet." Adrien chuckled, watching her cheeks warm again as he took another sip.

"Well I took a lot of time to make it back in the USA. New York is about twice as cold as it get's here. And we get a lot more snow." Marinette said with a smile, sipping her own glass. There was a peaceful pause between the two of them before Marinette finally spoke up again. "So, you said you needed to talk, so what's up?" Marinette asked, crossing her legs as she looked at Adrien.

Marinette hadn't realized when she opened the door but he didn't seem like the Adrien she had meet a while ago. She hadn't noticed the longing look in his eyes, the unfamiliar hopelessness that was so familiar to her somehow. The bags that hung under his eyes seemed a thousand times heavier from a distance, and it reminded her of a face she used to see in the mirror every day.

"Yeah, I uh….. Agh." Adrien said, letting his gaze wander over the street. The moonlight lit up his cheek bones perfectly as he looked off into the distance. "Me and a friend of mine who I haven't seen in a while got into a fight. I said something stupid and she ran off, and I don't know what to do now." Adrien mumbled, letting out a sigh as he brought his cup back up to his lips. "I have tried to call her over and over again, but she never picks up. I have tried looking for her, but I haven't seen her." Adrien mumbled, looking at his drink. "I am also wishing I had some whiskey right now." He mumbled, taking another long swig of his drink.

Leaning forwards onto her knees, Marinette watched Adrien closely as he looked off into the distance. "Yeah, I know how that feels." Marinette mumbled, remembering her fight with Chat not too long ago. The reality was that he had said he didn't need her, even though Tikki told her that he had been calling all day long. "It makes you feel like there is a hole inside because you can't fix it now, but you want to desperately." Marinette said, closing her eyes. "It's called depression." She added sarcastically, a soft smirk drawing across her lips.

Adrien snorted softly. "I know that dork." Adrien added, looking over at Marinette. Her smirk soon turned back into a steady gaze.

"I have it…." She mumbled gently, peaking his interest. "Depression." She clarified, clearing her throat after she stated that. Considering that a long pause occurred between them, Marinette continued. "It happened around the time I got to America. For the first few years, I was invisible. No one cared about me. My parents were so busy with the store, and I was trying to fit in. According to them, I was too simple, too fake, just a looser going after a lost dream. There was one man, just one. He gave me hope, and he was everything." Marinette said gently, her voice almost a whisper at this point. A large lump formed in her throat and she averted her gaze to the wall before continuing on. "And then suddenly, he wasn't. Suddenly someone I held so close was just another face that mocked me." Marinette said, fighting back the tears that welled at the corners of her eyes. She had never told the full story to anyone, not her therapist, not her parents, no one.

"He turned his back on me, left me to wilt. I was gone. It was only then that people around me saw how depressed I was. I got a therapist, meds that I take every day, all of those good things to keep me 'normal'." Marinette said, leaning her head down onto her knees. Thankfully, her tears never spilled over, retreating back into her tear ducts slowly as she let the message sink in. The silence persisted, which only made Marinette more uncomfortable. Shifting in her seat, she grabbed her drink and sipped it quietly, the liquid inside no longer piping hot, but a rather lukewarm temperature.

Marinette waited for Adrient to apologize or something, but he simply laughed in a sort of pitiful and empathetic way. "Yeah, I know how it feels." He said, looking over towards the room. He took a moment to let his gaze wander, wondering if what he was about to do crossed any boundaries. Looking back at Marinette, sweet and innocent Marinette, with short tresses of inky blue that shone in the moonlight, soft silky skin that looked almost smooth to the touch, and was graced with pink in the chilly night sky blue eyes that shone not only with mirth but with the pain of knowing loss and scraping the bottom of the barrel. Eyes that shone with determination to keep on fighting, something he had longed to see for years.

Reaching his hand to set down the cup, Adrien reached forwards and across an invisible barrier that separated them, tugging Marinette's small form, blanket and all into his arms. Marinette thanked herself for remembering to set down her mug as she was soon pulled into Adrien. When she had first meet him, he smelled of some cologne that was probably way to expensive. This Adrien smelled like coffee beans and hot chocolate, and a hint of cinnamon. It took her a moment to get over the shock and to realize that his warm and strong arms were still wrapped around her. Slowly but surely, Marinette leaned back into his hug, letting his warmth surround her. Her arms slowly found their way up and around his rib cage, pulling his warmth closer.

Marinette didn't know how long she had been laying there in his arms, but it was decently longer than a normal friend hug. She knew he had a wife, but for some reason her mind didn't seem to care right now. She should have been pushing him away from her, but after having such a personal conversation having him comfort her felt like she was floating on cloud nine. After a while of hugging she realized that Adrien was shivering a bit. Pulling the massive tiger blanket off her back, Marinette threw half of it over him, nuzzling up to his chest and closing her eyes. Maybe he would give her a chance to finally fall asleep.

Adrien gave a soft grunt of thanks as Marinette threw the blanket around his shoulders. He happily wrapped his half around his torso as Marinette snuggled into his chest. His brain was screaming at him to push her away, but she was so inviting it was hard to resist. His hand rested absentmindedly on her head, slowly letting his fingers get used to the short and yet so silky locks that dawned her head. To his surprise, Marinette let out a soft mumble, a smile dawning her face as he ran his hands through her locks. Her grip tightened for a moment, and she nuzzled into his chest before calming down. Soon enough, he could see that she was sleeping soundly, soft snores escaping her lips.

The moonlight at this time of night highlighted her skin perfectly, and she almost looked like an angel. It baffled him that someone so strong and so beautiful could go through something so traumatic as having someone crush her heart. 'I swear, if anyone else tries to hurt her, I am going to rip them into pieces.' Adrien thought, letting his hand continue to brush her locks.

Form a ways away, Plagg watched the two on the terrace. 'Idiot!' He thought, looking down at his boy. 'You are going to get yourself in a bigger mess than you mean too! Their soul mate bond must be that strong.' He thought, watching the two of them. 'Just don't do anything stupid.' He thought, looking over at the glass door where Tikki was watching the two of them from behind a plant. Her face was set in a worried frown as she watched Adrien brush her locks away. 'I hope everything goes alright Marinette.' She thought, crossing her fingers.

Adrien smiled, letting his palm finally stop on her head as he let his sleepiness take over.

* * *

By the time Adrien awoke, their coco had long cooled, and the dew was beginning to settle as dawn arose. Moving his stiff joints, he looked around. 'Where am I?' He thought to himself as he went to move. Suprisingly, his body seemed twice as heavy as usual, and he looked down, finding Marinette comfortably snuggled against him. A rush of panic went through him as he looked around. 'Oh crap, has anyone seen us? If Cora see's this, she is going to be pissed.' He thought, struggling to find what to do with the woman who was currently on his lap. Carefully, Adrien somehow managed to pick her up in his arms, sliding her glass door open with his foot. He walked her back over to her bed, sliding the covers back and setting her down on the soft mattress. He placed her large blanket on top of her as well.

Adrien made sure to wash the coco cups thoroughly and quickly, writing a small note and setting it on her desk, which proved a challenge since there was currently fabric everywhere around the room. And just like that, he slipped out without a sound, leaving her to sleep in peace.

* * *

 **I am so sorry~!**

 **For some reason this weekend has left me with less of a desire to write, and then I found it and hurried to finish the chap in like half an hour. Whew that took a long time**

 **As promised, there is some fluff. Not Marichat, but Adrinette fluff. And angsty fluf at that.**

 **Also, for those RWBY fans, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY**

 **The ending of volume three made me cry on the inside.**

 **Anyway, feel free to review, fave and like!**

 **And I might update this week as well, since I am on break!  
See you next week!  
~Ice~**


	7. Chapter 7-A Midnight Meeting

**HI  
I'M LATE  
I'M SORRY**

 **Someone asked me in the reviews when do I write. A lot of times I cram the chapter in Friday night, but mostly I write when I feel the ideas flowing. I don't want to force the story, because then it loses its charm and feel. So please bear with me and my terrible writing schedule XD**

 **Of course I do not own Miraculous Ladybug, but I do own Cora, and the plot line of this story**

* * *

The warmth of the sun's rays gently nudged Marinette awake. The curtains to her deck were pulled back, letting the morning light through and lighting up the mess that surrounded her bed. Rubbing her eyes, Marinette leaned upwards; letting her messy locks of hair fall all over as she rose. "Mhhh…?" Marinette groaned, her tired eyes gently peeling open to gaze around her room. Her hands brushed the silky texture of her large blanket instead of her smooth comforter. "Why is this here…." Marinette mumbled, rubbing her eyes again. "Did I hit my head or something? Why can't I remember anything after the talk with Adrien…." Marinette thought to herself, letting the phrase sink in.

With a gasp, Marinette almost shot straight out of her bed. Adrien had been over late last night, and the last thing she remembered was giving him a hug. Rubbing her forehead, she let her fingers clench into her short locks. 'Did I really fall asleep on him..?' She thought to herself, her fingers folding into the soft blanket as she pulled it close to her. She remembered that he had smelled sweet, like coffee and hot chocolate mixed with cinnamon, something that reminded her of home. His arms were warm and inviting, but he also belonged to another woman.

Letting out a scream, Marinette buried her face in her blanket, her blush spreading from her cheeks all the way up to her ears. She could almost hear steam coming out of her ears as she pressed her face into the blanket. She had hugged and fallen asleep on a married man who had once been her crush.

Finally pulling her face away from the blankets, Marinette recalled that they had a cup of hot chocolate last night out on her deck. Peeling off her covers, Marinette let her long legs be subject to the cool air of her apartment. Shuffling over the maze of objects and towards the door, Marinette pried it open, finding her patio spotless. There was neither a drop of hot chocolate spilled on it, nor a single piece of crushed porcelain.

Shutting the door behind her, Marinette walked into her kitchen and found the two glasses in her sink. 'Huh, he must have cleaned up and taken me to my bed before leaving.' She thought to herself, starting to make breakfast. One couldn't exactly think on an empty stomach. A bowl of cereal and milk served as a good breakfast for those in a hurry. Chowing down the last of the food, Marinette headed back through the maze towards her desk. 'I really need to clean up. I can't let this ruin my life.' She thought to herself, picking up a bolt of fabric and setting it back in its place. As Marinette started to clean up, she noticed that there was something lying on her piece from last night that she hadn't placed there. Shuffling over to it, Marinette picked up the small piece of paper that was folded delicately on top of the scissors she had put down last night.

The note was scrawled in perfectly looped writing that could only belong to Adrien.

 _'Dear Marinette.' It read, 'It seems that you act quite a bit like a cat. You wouldn't let go of me after I started running my hands through your hair. It was quite adorable. As you are aware, I do have a fiancé, so let's just not mention this to her, out of precaution. I would rather not have an MMA fighter coming after me. Anyway, since me and you both fell asleep, I decided to let you spend the rest of the morning sleeping, and I cleaned up the cups from last night. I hope you don't mind. Thanks for opening up to me; I hope we can still hang out._

 _~Adrien.'_

At this point Marinette was beet red, her fingers finding her hair. 'He found out that I like head pats. Oh, this is the worst.' Marinette thought to herself, shaking her head. She was going to have to get back at that little minx at some point. He sure was comfortable, and pretty manly. 'Stop it Marinette, you can't have him anymore. At this point, it might be better if you focused on Chat.' Marinette then frowned 'But he hates me now, or maybe he's sorry, maybe not. He has been calling me all this time. Maybe if I show up and ask things will go better.' She thought to herself before looking around the room. 'But Chat doesn't come out in the daytime, so for now, fixing up this mess is in order.' She thought to herself, setting the note down on top of Adrien's outfit.

It took Marinette a good hour and a half to straighten out her room again, with a little help from Tikki. Tapping her chin, Marinette looked around. She had spent the last three days on the inside of these four walls, so maybe stretching her legs would do her some good. Heading for the shower, Marinette grabbed a pair of thick skinny jeans. She could go for a ride, cool herself off, or maybe find a hill to go down and relax her muscles.

After finally getting out of the shower, Marinette combed her hair and blow dried it, making sure that it didn't look too bad before slapping on a blue beanie to contrast her grey Alice in Wonderland muscle tank and black pants. Grabbing a helmet from beside her door, Marinette left her apartment. She had been using a replacement car for the past few days, and just the day before her motorcycle had finally arrived so she could ride it herself instead of driving around in a stupid car. Smirking to herself, Marinette grabbed her phone and shoved it in her pocket and slipped on a thick leather jacket.

Walking out into the parking lot, Marinette recognized her slick blue NM4 Vultus that she had gotten when she graduated college. It was probably her favorite thing to ride in the streets of New York, considering traffic couldn't bother her one bit. Strapping on her matching blue helmet, Marinette walked up and turned the key on her bike, hearing the engine start up. A smirk crossing her face, Marinette let the rush of adrenaline sink in before leaning forwards to grasp the handles of the bike.

With a rev of her motor Marinette, took off into the street and left her home far behind. The wind came rushing by her ears, something she enjoyed quite a lot while she was a super hero. Her favorite were the nights she was with Chat and she would play chase, and be his bait. They took turns taking glee filled leaps off of buildings that would make most adrenaline junkie's stomachs drop. She did more things than someone thought capable of a shy and innocent tenth grader. But now, it was quite obvious that she wasn't the cautious type of person. She, in fact, mostly liked to throw caution to the wind, but without a latex suit and super hero powers, not wearing a helmet seemed kind of stupid. She knew that she was going to be needed to save the world at some point, so dying early was not an option.

Letting out a soft, relaxed sigh, Marinette let her bike roll down the street with ease, weaving between a few lanes of traffic. She was quite used to cutting it close at this point, considering how dense New York traffic was. Grinning the whole way down the street, Marinette squeezed through a yellow light, letting out a howl of joy as she sped straight for a hill, the air rushing past her face. Her cheeks were soon numb from the snap of winter air as it went by. 'Out here, I can finally be free….' She thought to herself, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. She couldn't stay with her eyes closed for too long, since she was driving… but the wind on her skin felt so good, so... _relaxing_. It was almost like her entire fight with Chat just seeped out of her skin and floated away in the wind.

When Marinette finally found her peace of mind, she found herself riding back towards her local gym from around the Eiffel Tower,where she ended up. Circling the streets around the tower for a few minutes, Marinette headed straight for the familiar building. She could work for the rest of the day, which was only like 8 hours, which was a lot of time. She could probably work out most of Adrien's outfit by then. But then patrol would start, and she would end up seeing Chat again. Hopefully they could fix whatever had happened between them. The last thing Marinette wanted was to have to defend Paris alone . Having tension between two heroes could cause the entire city of Paris to feel it or worse, strike doubt into them. The last thing Marinette wanted to do was give up on her home town. This was where it all started, and this is where she wanted to end it.

Finally arriving at the gym, Marinette took off her helmet and turned off her bike, heaving a sigh as she looked up at the building. Getting in a good bit of excursive would help keep her in shape and away from fattening because of all the takeout she ate. It let her work through her anger, frustration, and issues without having to actually beat someone up. Kicking up the kickstand, Marinette got off her bike, removing the helmet to reveal slightly frazzled hair that was easily calmed with a pat to the head. With a final shake of her head, Marinette strutted inside, pulling open the door confidently.

The loud pounding of punching bags hit her ears as she walked into the gym. People were sparring with each other on in the ring that was in the center of the room. Smirking, Marinette headed over to the locker rooms, flashing her card to the person at the front desk before heading back. It wasn't long before she emerged without her jacket, only her muscle tank and a pair of loose pants she had shoved under her seat before she left, but never bothered to take out. Marinette walked over towards the punching bags, a familiar feeling of adrenaline rushing through her as she flexed her fingers. Looking at the open bag in front of her, she took her stance, before starting her workout.

* * *

By the time dusk had come, Marinette had almost completely forgotten about Chat all together, pushing him to the far reaches of her mind. Their meeting hadn't been good at all, not in the slightest bit, and she doubted it would go better this time. Granted, the onehundred some calls on her phone proved that he at the least wanted to try and talk to her. How productive of a call that would be had yet to be seen. Her fears that had melted away were starting to come crawling back like a haunting shadow.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette looked out at the wide city of Paris, sitting atop their favorite rooftop, the one they used to visit so many years ago. She could feel the memories flowing through her like a river, calming her. She couldn't help but feel relaxed knowing she was back home, yet tense that Chat could be anywhere around in these streets. It was hard to be relaxed at all.

Leaning back, Marinette flopped against the rooftop, heaving a long sigh as she let the memories take her. She had accepted that these kinds of things happen, it was bound too. After missing so many years of his life, leaving him with barely a trace and only letter a year for him to go off of, it made sense why he would be infuriated. She had always yearned to see him again, to hug him, to laugh with him, to be with him. She had underestimated how much she had relied on him to be her rock. No matter how bad of a day, how bad of a fight, Chat always had her back. He was always her go to guy to help solve her problems. Of course, there was the challenge of not telling the real identities thing, but they seemed to work around it fine. Or at the least they had before. That was one of the many regrets she had after leaving. She should have asked him, so she could mull it over. But at the same time, it was almost unnecessarily cruel to do.

The one thing she wasn't expecting was Chat being so hostile. Before, he would have done anything for her trust, her love, her compassion. He even dealt with her brushing him off time after time after time so she could go back to Adrien. But when she needed his trust most, he had let her down. Recovering from that wouldn't be easy, not easy at all. That kind of trust can be healed, but the wounds are still there. This was something she was sure she would never forget.

A sudden gust of wind sent Ladybug back to her feet, teetering along the edge of the roof top. She could feel the wind tugging at the ribbons that trailed behind her, tied to the short locks of hair at the base of her neck. Almost like her responsibilities tugging her back to reality, the ground below the land of her dreams. Ladybug was always teetering on the edge of fulfilling her duty and fulfilling her desires. Sometimes, she would take a leap, other's she would back away from the ledge. She could never have one or the other. And that was the way she would always have to live. On the edge of danger.

* * *

Chat was having another eventless night. He had tried Ladybug a few more times, but she didn't answer. Then again, this kind of conversation wasn't one that was supposed to be had over the phone. Staring down at his staff, Chat's grip tightened as he watched the blackened screen. 'It's no use.' Chat thought to himself, pressing the cold metal to his forehead in despair. She hadn't responded for days, so why would she now. Letting the wind whip through his sun kissed locks, Chat let his thoughts still for a moment before picking them up again.

'One last time.' He thought to himself, picking his head off the staff as his long clawed thumb hit the call button. 'I should try once more. Before I call it quits. She wouldn't want me to quit, I don't think.' He thought to himself, watching as the screen displayed the call signal.

Far off, on their favorite rooftop, Ladybug felt her hip vibrate, and she looked down, seeing that the black spots were pulsing. It meant that Chat was trying to contact her. It was the sign she had been waiting for all afternoon, yet for some reason, Ladybug's hand froze halfway to the round object tied to her hip. 'What if he really wants to rub it in? What if he doesn't want to see me in person ever again? What if he was just trying to tear me apart?' She thought to herself. Before Chat would have never dared to do something like that, but now, she hadn't a clue.

'Only one way to find out.' She thought to herself before her hand finally moved to clasp her yoyo, sliding the front cover up to reveal Chat's face. He seemed about as lively as he had the day before, which was about a zero on the scale of liveliness. "Hey Chat." Ladybug said in a serious tone, no smile apparent on her face as she waited for a response.

Chat honestly hadn't been expecting a reply at all, so when the screen suddenly changed to a dimly lit picture of his Lady standing atop a familiar rooftop, his heart leapt into his throat. What was a formulated speech in his mind was now a pile of mush, as he had spent the last three days just trying to get a chance to deliver the dang thing, and now here he was with a chance, and all he could do was flubber over his words like Marinette used to.

"I… uh… Talk! Ummmm…. NEED TO!" Chat practically screamed into the staff, clamping a hand over his red face as he tried to gather his courage. Ladybug rolled her eyes, glaring at him from across the phone. "I know that, so get over here so we can talk. You know where I am." She said before the call went dark.

A few long seconds passed by without a word, just silence. A loud and sharp laugh broke the whispering of the wind as Chat sprung up from his rooftop. 'She wants to talk about this in person! YES!' He thought to himself, letting his body leap up and down on the small area. 'I finally get to see her again!' He thought, punching his fists through the air as he celebrated.

But all celebration was stopped short as he realized he would actually have to face Ladybug in that spot that they used to cherish. She didn't seem too thrilled over the call, her face stoic and cold. It was understandable, he had told her to fuck off, and that he didn't need her. But in reality, he was all wrong. He needed her more than ever. He had an entire collection of butterflies in his brooding room that needed to be taken care of. The sooner they were gone, the better.

Swallowing hard, Chat clenched his hands together, sliding his staff back behind his back before leaping off the rooftop. The journey there gave him some time to straighten out his thoughts, but even as he approached their favorite rooftop, all of his plans went out the window yet again. He could see her red silhouette against the moon, strong and powerful, like she was ready to stand up to anything.

Fear washed through Chat as he leapt up onto the rooftop where Ladybug sat with her back facing him. The ribbons in her hair trailed behind her elegantly, seeing as they were tied firmly to her hair. He had never imagined that Ladybug would chop off all her hair, but for some reason it made his fear grow inside. With the short haircut, even from the back she was menacing. And when she turned, her blue eyes flashing in the light of the moon, he could feel his ears falling flat.

Such a look was something he had never expected from his ladybug. Her eyes were full of sternness, strength, and lethality. Chat couldn't be more afraid for himself and their relationship at any other moment. If he didn't say the right thing, they were probably screwed. She had the power to decide how this encounter would go in the end. In the end, he wanted her approval, not the other way around.

"Hello, my lady." Chat said, his voice quivering timidly as he approached her. He knew "Hello Chat." She said calmly, not letting his shy ambition deter her from her position with her back to him. She could see his twitching fingers and fidgeting form in front of her, and she wanted nothing more than to hide. It was hard facing someone who had betrayed her trust only a few days later, but if it wasn't done now, when would it be done? When would she finally stop running from her problems?

Chat could feel the silence growing and he swallowed, his claws raking against his leg. 'Destruction and creation, how did anyone think this was a good match?' Chat thought to himself, heaving a sigh as he looked at her. "Look, Ladybug, whatever your real name is, I'm sorry." He said, lifting up his right hand to rake his claws through his hair. "I should have thought before I said anything. I should have... I should have done a lot of things other than the one thing I did do." He growled at himself, shuffling his feet along the rooftop. "That wasn't the message I wanted to convey at all, well, not the one I should have..." He mumbled, his tone getting softer as he seemed to shrink, her back still turned to him, her posture stiff as a statue. She didn't flinch at all as he continued to ramble on behind her, and eventually he just sighed again, looking away from her.

"Did you really mean it?" Ladybug mumbled gently, finally breaking her stiff posture to turn back towards Chat. "Did you really mean what you said..." She mumbled gently, her eyes glittering in the moonlight. Ladybug didn't want to admit she had been badly hurt by such a event, but at this point in time, it was hard to hold back the tears. Just seeing him sent the memories soaring through her brain, almost like a slideshow. No matter how hard she tried, the wound was still fresh, it was hard to get over.

Sighing, Chat ran a hand though his hair, his teeth sinking sharply into his lower lip as he tried to stall for time. He didn't want to say the truth, he hated the truth, but sometimes honesty was the best answer. That was something he knew too well. "Back then, I kind of did. I felt like you had just decided to show up because now it was convenient for you." He mumbled, closing his eyes. "I should have asked though, maybe said it a little differently. My own words have been haunting me ever since."

Ladybug sighed, and she looked up at Chat. His emerald eyes shone in the light of the moon, reflecting the regret and the hurt in his eyes as he stared back at her. The look he was giving her made her heart ache with regret, and she shook her head again. "I screwed up all those years ago." She mumbled, letting her gaze turn from him. "I should have told you the truth all those years ago. That I wasn't going to come back for a while. I would have said it. I _could_ have said it. But I didn't. And that's something we have to deal with now." Ladybug said, letting her fingers curl into a tight fist, trying to hold in her feelings. 'If I hadn't been so stupid all those years ago, we wouldn't be like this now. Standing separate on a rooftop.' Ladybug thought somberly as she looked at him. "I couldn't stay anymore. I wished I could have. But my personal life finally caught up with me, and it was time to go." She mumbled, feeling the tears threatening to spill over her water line.

The silence was defining. There was nothing but the soft sound of wind and she shuffling of fabric as Ladybug awkwardly stood before him. She could feel the rift growing as she stood there, letting the moonlight wash over her. "I would love to forget about this entirely." Ladybug said, finally breaking the silence, again. "I would love to just clean the slate, start over, but I feel like completely ignoring it would be like pretending it never happened. Like nothing bad ever happened." She said softly, taking a step forward. This was probably her only chance to try and heal the gap between them. If she didn't, she knew Paris would have no security to lie their problems on. They had been doing that for years, relying only on a heartbroken Chat to fill the gaping down at his lady, Chat curled his claw into a fist for a second, before relaxing the muscles. 'She is right you know.' A inner voice nagged at him. 'Without her you ave no way of healing the growing amount of butterflies in your closet, and you are running out of room.'

Breaking his firm stance, Chat lifted a clawed hand to his face. "Believe me, this isn't going to be easy." Ladybug stated, arms lightly gesturing to the city below them. "But they need you. And if you don't want to come along, then you can retire your mask and I will do things myself. It would be easier than having to dodge around each other like we don't know each other, or trying to work around the awkwardness." She said.

The silence hung again over them, draping like a veil over the silent pair. Chat had his claws digging into the fabric on his palm, rage burning inside him. 'How on earth could I ever give up Chat Noir! He is all the freedom I have known for all these years, my only companion for so long. I couldn't bare to leave that now.' He thought, temper simmering slightly. His fist unclenched, and he sighed heavily yet again. "Well then, I guess I have no choice." He said, letting the words hang for suspense. He couldn't make everything easy peasy. He could see her breath hitching, the way her eyes widened slightly, fear sliding over her features as he looked across at her former partner. Chat had to fight back a signature grin. Leaning out a hand, Chat smiled at his lady. "I guess we have to make up those ten years." He joked, looking over at his ladybug with affection in his eyes.

Ladybug could not be more relieved that he hadn't turned her down. Her heart was still pounding in her ear drums when Chat extended his hand towards her. A hand that she used to lovingly pound at the end of a mission, a hand that used to grasp her own to save her from teetering over a large ledge into danger. A hand that too many times before she had dismissed or pushed back towards him as he preached his amorous intentions. And now here it was, staring her in the face, that daunting hand now accepting, or more like inviting her to rejoin the bonds. With a half sob, half gasp, Ladybug brushed past his hand and instead wrapped her lithe and red clad arms around his body (briefly noting that his muscles were a lot larger than when she had last seen him) and holding him close to her chest. A breath of relief casgaded across his chest as Ladybug held on for dear life.

Surprised by the sudden hug from his lady, Chat let out a soft laugh, and ruffled her hair. "Silly bugaboo." He mused, briefly recalling that back in the day a hug was pretty much out of the question unless he had almost killed himself, which had happened on many occasions. Bringing his once outstretched hand up, Chat patted her hair softly, smoothing back the short and silky black tendrils and letting his hands trail along her ribbons.

He didn't know how long they had stayed like that but eventually Ladybug pulled away, her features holding a newfound confidence. She seemed to almost glow in the moonlight, radiating this vibrant light that shined brighter than before. "Right then, let's get started." She said, balling her hand into a fist.

* * *

"So, I heard Ladybug was back in town."  
Adrien was sitting at the table, happily munching on his cereal bowl as his partner walked around the living room, grabbing her bags from the room and bringing them towards the door. Cora was dressed in very slouchy clothing with a hood, and a wig, an attempt to escape the media which would probably be in vain. They seemed to be everywhere around Paris, at the least, everywhere where he went. It was rare to find a day when they wouldn't see them.

Chocking on his cereal, Adrien pounded his chest, trying to get the dry flakes out of his airway so he could breathe properly. Chugging down half the glass of milk that stood in front of him, Adrien finally took a breath of relief and he looked over at Cora, who had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised as she stared him down. 'Dang, she is almost as scary as Ladybug.' He thought, his mind replacing his loving fiancé with the picture of his partner, clad in her signature red spotted suit, intense blue gaze glaring down at him. Adrien let himself get lost in the trance before he was taken out of it by a palm smashing to the table with enough force to knock his spoon upwards, and rock his milk.

"Don't try and like to me Adrien, I want to know what you have been up to. I saw those pictures on the media this morning." Cora growled, her gaze narrowing on Adrien. Though Cora could be a sweet and charming woman, when anyone came in that was a real threat, she got aggressive. And the only real threat to their relationship was Ladybug, and now, Marinette. Since Adrien had no one but her to rely on before Marinette came back, when a new woman suddenly burst in, claiming a spot as his friend, she got a little more than defensive. Her competitive spirit and aggression was something he had grown to love, and fear. Barely catching the both of them, Adrien sighed and looked up at her. "Baby, there is nothing going on between me and her." He lied, setting down his glass and his spoon.

"Ha, as if I could believe that." Cora said, placing her hands on her hips. Getting up from his chair, Adrien walked over to his fiancé, placing his hands on top of hers, grasping her hips lightly as he leaned in to kiss her forehead. "You don't need to worry about anything dear." Adrien mumbled, the only response he got was an angry huff. "Whatever." She grumbled, shaking her head. Pulling away from Adrien, Cora glared at him over her shoulder. "When I come back, you better have your priorities straight." Cora growled, picking up her bags and walking straight out the door.

A calm silence filled the room, followed by a growl rising from Adrien's throat. They had fought before, but it usually ended up like this. And then she would come back to chocolate and roses, and he would finally convince her to settle down, and that whoever it was didn't matter as much as her. But at this point, he was starting to have trouble believing it himself. 'Do I still really love her? What about Ladybug? Why can't I shake this feeling inside me. This feeling of betrayal.' Adrien thought to himself, fingers grasping at his scalp. Growing again, Adrien released his long locks of gold, the tugged strands flopping over his forehead like wilting flowers.

"Get it together Adrien. Nothing is happening between you and Ladybug, nothing, nothing at all." Adrien reminded himself, standing up from his chair. "You are going to forget her, she may be your soul mate, but you can't lose Cora. She helped you forget, you can't let her go." Adrien mumbled as he walked into his room. Stripping his shirt easily, Adrien shook his head again, tossing the useless piece of clothing at his kwami, who was snoozing on the bed. A muffled grumble came from the small blue mound, but Adrien couldn't hear anything, and simply walked into his bathroom, reaching for the water.

Splashing the cool droplets towards his face, Adrien let the water run back down his face, the faucet rushing in front of him as he stared down at the swirling stream. All he could do is compare his girlfriend to her, think about her. Since she came back, Ladybug had consumed every thought of his. He hadn't been able to stop it either.

Shaking his head, Adrien looked over as his phone buzzed, alerting him to the fact that someone had texted. He had assumed it was his girlfriend, who might be in desperate condition, or just sending more things his way. Picking up his phone with a dry, Adrien lazily looked over the screen. To his surprise, it wasn't Cora's name that scrawled across the screen, in fact it was Marinette's, a friendly good morning text. There was a few dots after it, so he assumed that she had written a little more than his phone showed. Sliding right, Adrien typed in his password, looking at the screen.

M-"Morning dumbass. Next time, try and say goodbye before you leave." It read, which caused him to smile a bit, Adrien started typing a reply.

Marinette was milling around her kitchen, humming as she let the song Go pound in the background. Sporting yet another odd look with her longer hairs bunned on the top of her head. Swishing her hips, Marinette flipped one of her chocolate chip pancakes, her phone dinged again. Dancing over to her phone, Marinette picked it up, smiling at the reply.

A-"Well morning to you too sunshine. Seems like your morning is going peachy. Would you like me to come over and give a formal apology?" It read, and she chuckled, typing a response.

M-"Sure, but you better have a game face on, or a laptop, because I have been itching to play again."

A-"Sure, I needed a distraction anyway."

M-"Same, So much same"

A-"Too much same All the same."

M-"All the sames together in one pile of same"

A-"A universe of same With alternate sames And huge galactic sames"

M-"And a black hole that swallows up all the sames to make an infinite same"

A-"Lol, see you in ten?"

M-"See you then dork. I'll have pancakes ready."

Marinette smiled as she sent off the last text, finishing off the last pancake before putting them in the oven to keep warm. Stripping the hair tie from her hair, Marinette raced to the bathroom, humming the whole way there, trying to contain her excitement as she got the house ready for her guest.

* * *

 **AND THERE IS THE END**

 **YES IT'S LATE**  
 **FEEL FREE TO KILL ME NOW**

 **So long story short, last week I ended up in the ER for 8 hours, and before you panic, I'm fine. Just fine. Everything is good, I still live. It just set me back a bit. I am still in some pain, and for some reason I have lacked the ability to write. That and also being stuck at a club like 7 hours a day.**

 **Next chapter is going to be kind of short, but it will have fluf!**

 **Don't forget to Fave, Follow, and Review, and I will see you next week.**

 **~Ice~**


	8. Update

**Hello all, yes I live, yes I know it has been a long time.**

 **This is a short little update/PSA about this fic.**

 **So after chapter seven, I lost my mojo a bit. I took a step back, and then life got really really busy, and I didn't have time to post for a while. And chapter seven had just been nagging me. It was too fast a pace for what I was writing. Things could be that heavy soon. I have plans, and rushing them will just make all of it feel rushed. So I took a break. Chapter seven is now updated with a small edit to the story so that it flows a lot better than it did before.**

 **Here is the PSA part of it. For those of you in the reviews, I see a lot of you screaming for one thing or another. That will not help me move forward, in fact a lot of times it just stresses me out. The story will play out the way it does and I am in no rush to change that at any point. So feel free to oo and ah about whatever went on in the chapter, revisions I may need to make grammar wise, and stuff like that, but please refrain from screaming at me all the time.**

 **That's all for now, hopefully chapter eight will come along soon and I will see you all in the next chapter**

 **Peace**

Ice


	9. Chapter 8-A Gaming Palooza

**Oh my goodness it's been a long time since I have posted. Like waaaay too long. School kind of caught me for a loop. Anyways, here is a much deserved, much loved, and very LOOOONG fluffy chapter, mostly creating a bit of drama, and just a thank you to the readers who needed a little fluff. We hit 200 follows today, which makes me very very happy that you all enjoy this. As for me, I have a lot more time now, so I can write more! Hopefully it will be more often now that it's summer.**

 **Anyway, for those who patiently, or not so patiently, awaited my new chapter, here it is! Go! Have fun! Read all the fluff I have created for you!  
**

 **Also I do not own these characters, aside from Cora. I do own the plot of this story though and this writing, all bellow here.**

* * *

Today couldn't be more of a luke warm day for Adrien. He had been yelled at by his fiancé, who had then proceeded to stomp out of the house angrily. And now he was heading over to Marinette's house, the one girl who seemed to put him at ease at the moment. When they had just been high schoolers, she had been a shy little girl, easy to stutter and get embarrassed when around them. Granted, they were still friends, but this new her was even better than that. Fiery personality that lit up the room, she was like a ball of fire. No one could put out her flame if she was determined enough. Even then, he had seen a very different side of her a few days ago. Her flame put out by her own thoughts, witty jokes lacking their usual humor that was replaced with the sharp sting of truth.

Shaking his head, Adrien looked up at her door, the same door he had leapt too not a day or two before. But then, he had silenced his footsteps, balancing on the balls of his feet as he snuck to her door. With the sun's rays now giving him passage, Adrien knocked roughly on her door. The soft shuffling of feet across wood came from the other side of the door and soon enough it flung open, revealing a very bright and enthusiastic Marinette.

She had her messy locks tossed underneath a slouched grey hat, a tight black shirt with a cool galaxy design printed across the front. Most of the things Marinette had worn up until now were slouchy, shapeless items that she seemed all too comfortable to wear. The tighter shirt was a nice change of pace, it revealed her toned form more clearly, as did the tighter pair of grey jeans. She was a much different Marinette than the shy, pigtailed, pink loving one from middle school, but there was a hint of similarity between the two. The stubbornness was just a lot more prominent in this one.

"Morning fashionista." Adrien said, letting the words roll off his tongue naturally. Marinette rolled her eyes at his joke, and she placed a hand on her hip. "Seems like for even a married man you have wandering eyes." Marinette said, drawing her hand up sleekly to poke right between his eyes and turn around, walking back towards the kitchen, the door still agape as she started to take the food out of the oven. The music in the background was fairly generic house electronic music, and Marinette swayed to the beat as she brought the generic pancake supplies out of the cabinets.

"Well if you didn't want a bit of a stare, then you might have wanted to wear something yet. Better yet, just a baggy shirt." Adrien joked, walking in and shutting the door behind him. Flirting was not something young Adrien had mastered yet, and at this point it didn't take long anymore. Chat kind of just took over, the personality causing words to roll off his tongue faster than he could stop them. Strutting over to the kitchen, Adrien heard her snort in response to his flirtatious quote.

"In your dreams kitty cat." Marinette retorted, an image of Chat Noir sliding into her brain as she thought of his behavior. 'Well, at the least I know the old Chat would have acted like this….' She thought to herself, shaking her head. A soft frown settled onto her features and her hand froze mid way of grabbing the nutella from the pantry. Glaring at the chocolate substance, Marinette let herself linger just a moment too long. That moment was enough to capture Adrien's attention, and he walked over, easily swiping the jar from her hands. "Nutella? What the heck is this?" Adrien asked, inspecting the jar carefully. "Hazelnut spread…." He murmured in amusement before the jar was quickly snatched away from him by an astonished Marinette.

"Sit down." She said, holding the jar away from him and pointing at the table. Disappointed, Adrien reached for the chocolate jar again. Fortunately for Marinette, she had fast enough reflexes to swipe it out of his way before he could grab it. "No, sit. I won't let you have it until you sit down so you can try this for the first time properly." She said, looking up at him firmly from under her long lashes. Adrien formed a pout on his perfect features, trying to lure the defiant woman into giving him the spread out of pity, but this Marinette was a brick wall. She didn't even bat an eyelash at his puppydog eyes. She simply waved her other hand, shooing him back towards her small table meant for one, but today it was seated for two.

Sitting down dramatically, Adrien let out a long, lethargic, and exaggerated moan, closing his eyes. "Hurry, or I might die of hunger…." He grumbled, his eyes slipping shut as he rolled his head back over the edge of her chair. Groaning, Marinette picked up a warm pancake and opened a drawer. The clattering of silverware filled the room as Marinette grabbed a knife, a big glop coming out on the silver blade as she spread it over the buttery food. "Mmm, smells good." Adrien mumbled, opening one eye as he lifted his head could see her spreading the chocolate substance over the pancake. "Yes, and it will taste good if you stop trying to swipe for it." Marinette mused, watching his arms flail wildly as he tried to find the food that was currently locked in her grasp.

"Uggh, fine." He growled, letting his head pull forwards and looked towards her. Instead of finding her face, he found a pancake lathered in nutella being shoved right up against his nose, spreading the substance all over his pale skin.

"Adrien! My god could you not have waited a few seconds or opened your eyes or something!" Marinette exclaimed, laughter peeling from her lips as she stared at his face. The gooey brown substance was currently spread across his nose, and a bit of his upper lip, creating a smooth cascade of the nutty substance. With a flick of his tongue, Adrien swiped the paste off his lips, a soft hum escaping the pinkish hue surrounding his lips. "You were right, this stuff is amazing. They have this in America you said?" He asked her, using his finger to swipe the rest of it off his lips.

Groaning, Marinette dropped the pancake to the paper towel she had pulled out. "Yes, but it's a little more chocolaty in America." She mumbled, sealing the jar up again, but not before she had taken a large glob of chocolate out and placed it against her tongue. Savoring the sweet taste, Marinette hummed and licked her lips before bopping Adrien on the nose, getting some of the nutella off his nose. "At the least I can eat like a civilized person." She teased lightly, licking her finger again before picking up her plate of pancakes and making her way back towards the living room. Adrien was quick to follow, piling up a plate with pancakes and grabbing the entire can of nutella before following her towards the couch.

Turning to scoff at him, Marinette set down her plate before putting a hand on her hip. "Really? If you eat all of it you owe me a jar of nutella." She said, crossing her arms at him. She really did love her nutella, not even her old crush was going to get in the way of her love for the sweet chocolaty substance. Rolling his eyes, Adrien raised his hands in defense, looking down at her. "Alright, alright, I promise to buy you two new ones if I eat this entire thing." He said, grinning down at her. Something about Marinette made him want to poke and tease her, just like he would a younger sibling, if he ever had one. She was now much shorter than him, and seeing her get aggressive was more adorable than threatening.

Glaring back at the smug Adrien, Marinette leaned in closer. "Cross your heart and hope to die?" She threatened, looking back up at him angrily. Chuckling, Adrien put his free hand to his heart. "Stick a needle in my eye." He jested, before dropping his hands. Satisfied with his promise, Marinette nodded, though she was going to be keeping an eye on that jar. If he did eat all of it she was going to make him get it all at once.

Sitting down on the couch, Adrien let out a sigh as he made himself comfortable on her large couch. "So nerd," He said, poking her side gently as she stood there stiffly, "What do you want to do first?" He asked. Marinette, surprised by his sudden poke, let out a little squeak, glaring at him before shaking it out. "I was thinking we could start with a bit of Overwatch. See how good those supposed skills are." She threatened coldly, walking over to her tv and turning on the console. It's light cut through the darkness that shrouded that corner, even though the light was streaming through the large windows of her home. The soft sound of whirring fans cut through the silence as Marinette picked up her elaborately decorated PS4 controller and tossed Adrien a plain black one, that seemed like it had seen its fair share of battles. "Don't get any nuttella on the..."Marinette stated, watching Adrien barely catch the controler with one hand, seeing as he was currently munching on a nutella pancake that was placed in the other, his hand swerved right back, towards the couch. Thankfully, he saved it, but not before giving Marinette a heart attack.

Glaring back at him, Marinette growled. " . . .Couch." She threatened angrily, bouncing on the balls of her feet, as if she was about to start a fight with him. Not like she couldn't take him down, but she wouldn't actually hurt him that bad. Then he might have some extra things to pay for, and Marinette might be visiting the hospital for a month. Adrien, who was starting to look a little paler, raised his hands. "Then don't throw the controller at me while I am eating!" He yelled back, glaring at her.

"Fine, prove yourself worthy first." She said, clicking a few buttons on her controller. Soon enough, the starting music was coming on through her speakers, and Adrien took a moment to look at her sick setup. "Wow, you sure have a system set up here. Where did you even get all this?" He asked, looking at the very large, very high definition tv screen that had a computer attached by a cord to the side. "Time and various jobs." Marinette said, adjusting herself on the couch until she was sure she had the most comfortable position, with a pillow behind her back and her legs crossed firmly in front of her. She hardly batted an eye as she selected Tracer, the calm and cute british accent filling the room as Marinette glanced over at Adrien.

"Well go on then. Surely you should be capable of doing a game like this." She said, gaze narrowing slightly as she gazed at him. Adrien, still slightly dazed, soon returned her glare, and chose a character. "Bring it on Pancake Princess."

* * *

"That was so not fair!"

"Oh come on, stop being a baby Adrien! Or should I say, Wittle Wadrien."

"Shut up Mother Fucker!"

"You shut up dickhead!"

"Asshat!"

"Prick!"

Marinette and Adrien had spent the last few hours hopping from game to game, trying to best each other in any way possible. Marinette had smoked him in Overwatch, he had just barely squeaked away with Mario Kart, he had crushed her in COD, but she had gotten away with Halo 5. They were currently still head to head, both trying to beat each other in Don't Stop Moving. And Marinette was winning.

"Get back here! I need to give you my bomb!" Adrien yelled! The timer ticking down frantically as they ran around the arena. Soon enough the bomb went off, and Adriens green guts spewed comically over the screen.

"Gah! You bitch!" He shouted, grinning over at her and giving her a light shove. Marinette, laughing, tilted to the side with his shove, her laughter still ringing long after. Holding her stomach, she let the laughter roll off her. The sun had lowered in the sky, shining right in on the two of them. The Nutella had been long since devoured, not that either had figured out yet. Instead, all that filled the room was laughter from Marinette, and complaints from Adrien.

"Why you…." He grumbled, before snatching his own pillow from one side of the couch and promptly smacking her upside the head with it. Laughter ceased all at once, and Marinette stared back at him for a few moments before her gaze narrowed in on him, causing the fear inside himself to grow.

"Oh, it's on like DONKEY KONG MOTHER FUCKER!" Marinette said, her sly words turning into a full out battle cry as she grabbed the pillow from behind her and leapt upwards, smashing Adrien with the pillow. "AND THERE IS NO MERCY IN MY HOUSE!" She added, smashing him on the right of his head.

"YOUR ON CUPCAKE!" Came the cry from underneath the pillow, Adrien pushing her pillow to the side and heading for her stomach. What followed could only be described as a furry of pillows, screaming and flying adults. Marinette attacked Adrien viciously, screaming at the top of her lungs as she assaulted him. They paid no mind to the neighbors, who were obviously complaining at the loud screams and thumps from their usually quiet neighbor.

"ATTACK ON ADRIEN!" Marinette yelled, currently stood beside the couch as she jumped and wailed on Adrien. Yelping, Adrien wormed his way away from the savage rage monster that was Marinette, who was chasing after him, a fire lit behind her eyes. "Get back here you little titan!" She screeched, chasing him all the way around the couch before sacking him into it, the two exploding into a fit of laughter as the two scuffled over the couch, Adrien poking at her sides and Marinette tried to escape his irritating pokes and tickles.

"NOW WHO'S LAUGHING HUH?" Adrien yelled back, finally regaining his balance back, leaning over the now writhing and kicking Marinette. "PAYBACK YOU LITTLE DEVIL!" He screamed, continuing to tickle her sides viciously, making sure to keep his hands in friendly zones, mostly around her sides, and trying to avoid anything farther up or down. "YOU SHOULD BE THANKFUL THAT I-"

Adrien's scream was cut short as Marinette's foot flick straight into his groin. Hearing a loud grunt, she opened her eyes to Adrien who was keeling over and leaning onto the couch, hands firmly grasping his crotch. There were soft whimpers coming from his lips as he leaned over, curling his knees up on him. Laughing a bit, Marinette sat up and leaned over, putting a single hand on his shoulder.

"Yo Adrien." She said gently, shaking his shoulder slightly. He groaned in response, and Marinette chuckled. "Are you alright?" She asked, trying to make him lift his head up to look at her without actually having to grab his chin. When only whimpers came in reply, Marinette let her head rest on his shoulder, her shoulders shaking with laughter. "Serves you right." She giggled, letting her soft chuckles fill the room.

After she had stopped laughing, a calm silence came over the room, and for the first time, Marinette realized that she was leaning directly against Adrien, his scent filling her nose. He smelled like rain, and a little bit like pancakes from being in her house for so long. He was almost therapeutic to her soul, letting her anxiety about seeing Chat Noir and being back to protecting paris again, melt away from her body. Rolling her head against his, Marinette let out another soft chuckle. She let her muscles relax against him, her shoulders rolling forwards as she leaned against him. "Oi oi oi…." Adrien mumbled, his breath tickling her ear as he breathed out. He stilled, not wanting to move the now relaxed and heavily breathing Marinette. "Don't get too close now. I might just have to get revenge." He panted, poking her gut lightly. Chuckling, Marinette pulled away from him and poked his nose. "Don't let your fantasies run wild Adrien. You still have a fiance." She reminded him, drawing herself back.

Her warning was more like a remark to herself, reminding her that she couldn't get attached to the soon to be married man. He didn't have a ring to tie him to her yet, but soon he would. And considering how popular the two of them were in the media the world would surely know if he suddenly started seeing someone knew. Heck, there was probably already conspiracies about the two of them dating, not that she cared much. If it was a problem for him, he would have told her.

Adrien sighed and pulled away from Marinette, looking back into her bright blue orbs of light. They stared back at him, boring holes straight through to his soul. Some part of him wanted to seek comfort in her arms again, memories of the other night surfacing in his mind. She had smelled like chocolate, and strangely homey for someone he hadn't seen in years. But he could. No matter how mad Cora was at him, he couldn't just go around fraternizing with other women while she was away. Most of the time they ignored the press, but with Marinette's face plastered all over them, of course with him beside her, she would not be pleased.

"You're right." He mumbled, turning his gaze away from her and to the window. "But that doesn't mean that I can't have friends right?" He asked, a grin gracing his face as he prodded her once more and reached for the glass jar of nutty spread. However, as Adrien reached into the jar, his hands hit the bottom of the glass, his ring clinking slightly against the emptiness of the jar. Pausing, Adrinen lifted the jar to his eye and peered through it. "Huh, empty." He mumbled, not a lick of chocolate substance left. "I could have sworn there was some left." He grumbled, shaking the jar.

As soon as Adrien turned to Marinette, he groaned. A large grin was spread across her cheeks. "Guess what~" She drew out in a very american accent. 'Man I never realized how much her accent has changed in the last ten years….' Staring back at her, Adrien blinked silently, trying to figure out what in the world she was talking out. Marinette's grin widened as she grabbed the pillow behind her and knelt on the couch. "YOU OWE ME TWO JARS!" She yelled in his ear, smashing him over the head with the pillow before picking up the empty tin and going to throw it away.

Adrien sat there on the couch for a minute before getting up after Marinette. "Now hold on a minute there, I promised no such thing you little imp." He threatened, walking into the kitchen after her. "Who said that I would have to pay for those two jars." Adrien threatened, walking up to the gleeful Marinette who was currently shuffling dishes and plates into the sink. Whipping around, Marinette kept her grin slapped onto her cheeks. "You, my dear stupid friend, promised that if you finished it you would get me another AND add another one on top of that." She said, crossing her arms and glaring back at him. "And I fully intend to fulfill the promise you made to me no less than four hours ago when I accidentally smashed a pancake coated in nutella into your nose, which by the way that was your fault." She said, backing him up towards the wall with her finger in front of her. Her glare was murderous. It had never been so simultaneously afraid and at the same time attracted to someone. But he kept his feelings in tight check. He was attracted to many women, but that didn't mean that he would go off and date them all. It was just certain mannerisms that made his day, and her pinning him up against the wall with only her pointer finger and a cold glare was apparently rocking his world.

"Well then, I guess I will have to come by tomorrow with two jars." He said, shrugging slightly as he looked down upon the fierce beauty. Her face easily contorted from ferocity to mischief. "Oh no, you are not slithering out of this so easily. We are going right now, and I am driving." Marinette said, tapping his nose with her finger before heading towards the door.

"What's so bad about you driving and me not? Does it really make a difference? I mean if anything I would have thought you would make me drive." Adrien said, rolling his shoulders as he walked to the door and picked up his regular coat. He was stopped by the swift hand of his hostess smacking his hand. "You are going to want a thicker jacket than that. And you will figure out why I want to drive later. Because I guarantee you can't drive my vehicle." Marinette promised him, before she reached for her own.

Tossing a spare leather jacket over her shoulder, Marinette easily slid on her identical one, with blue and grey swirling patterns on the shoulder. She grabbed a nearby pair of gloves and a helmet. "You might want to strap in." She said, chucking a black helmet back to him. Her own helmet in her grasp, she grabbed the keys and headed out the door. Adrien stood there stunned for a few more seconds before racing out after her, hastily slapping on his jacket. "Marinette…." Adrien said cautiously as they practically raced down the stairs. He was suddenly becoming very worried that she was driving something much more dangerous than he thought she would.

His gut sank even lower as she made a beeline for the blue bike. "Oh no. Marinette, this is not safe, there is no way I am getting on that." Adrien said, his feet halting as he looked at her. Turning around, Marinette shrugged. "I don't have a car, so this is really our only option. Besides, I love the bike." She said, patting the seat as she slid on her helmet.

Adrien glared at her. "I have a car, that is a much safer way to go. So let's just get in the car and we can be there in ten…." Adrien stated, folding his arms. Looking over at him, Marinette gave a sly grin and turned on the engine. "Or you could hurry up you're scared butt and get on the back of my bike. It's perfectly safe and it's not far. Besides we can cut through traffic." She said, gesturing for him to sit behind her.

"This is so unmanly." Adrien groaned to himself, putting on the helmet and mounting the bike behind her. Underneath his helmet, a soft blush formed across his cheeks. "Hold on tight or you will fall." Marinette chastised him, a soft blush of her own forming as he obediently wrapped his hands around her midsection. Kicking up the stand, she revved the engine before turning around quickly and shooting out of the garage.

Adrien's screams of terror could be heard over the soaring wind as the two weaved through traffic. Grip tightening, Adrien took another large breath and let out another scream, this time pressing his face into her back so he could hide himself from anyone who could see him. A laugh rumbled through Marinette as she continued to weave through the afternoon traffic.

"Don't tickle me too bad. You do want us to make it." She yelled, looking back at him for a second before turning a sharp right into a small one way street, going the wrong way. Adrien let out more screams as she ran up on the sidewalks, which were empty.

"We're almost there! Enjoy the view while it lasts. This part is the best!" She yelled, looking over to the right for a second before back on the road. Lifting his head, Adrien looked over, only to see the seine river against the lowering sun, which cast orange purple light over the city of paris. The Eiffel Tower was somewhere to the right, casting a large yet light shadow over the varied rooftops of Paris. It was almost like looking through a filter, and suddenly he felt like the female characters from one of the cliche american drama's, and he squeezed Marinette a little closer. Leaning against her, Adrien fell silent, choosing to forget his fiance, forget his responsibilities, forget all the tabloids and just stare out at the lowering sun. But all too soon the buildings blocked it out again, and a shadow was cast over the two.

Closing his eyes again, Adrien nuzzled into her, breathing in the scent of citrus and lavender that must have been in either her clothing or on her, but it was putting him to sleep. The loud rumble of the bike stopped suddenly, as did the bike, and finally he opened his eyes.

They were parked in front of a regular supermarket, but his brain was suddenly warning him that if he didn't cover up his face, he would get recognized, which would lead to rumors, which would cause Marinette trouble. Getting off the bike, Adrien cleared his throat, trying to be manly. "Alright, let's get this over with." He grumbled, pulling off his helmet and tucking it underneath his arm. Marinette took off her own helmet, shaking out her ruffled ink hair. "Let's make this quick or I will make you buy more stuff." Marinette stated, clapping his back before heading inside the store.

Following numbly after the confident girl, Adrien entered the supermarket quietly, his lips sealed. The calm noise of people bustling around slowly faded as head's turned towards him, but Marinette didn't seem to mind at all. She just kept guiding him down the aisle with breakfast foods and chocolate. She seemed perfectly happy where she was, almost like she fit it. "Let's make this quick." Adrien mumbled quietly, moving his bangs aside.

People that had once been minding their own business were now peering down the aisle to look at them. He could hear hushed whispers when he turned his back, but any time he faced them, they would duck away, as if his glare could turn them to stone. 'I'm not medusa.' Adrien thought to himself, glaring at the aisle. Reaching for the first two jars of nutella he saw, he swooped them up. "There, let's go." Adrien said gruffly, looking at the spunky woman.

Marinette on the other hand, had another idea. With a grin spread across her face, she gave him the signature pleading face that could charm any man. 'Awww, come on. Why not get some candy and a movie to watch. After all, we have been playing videogames for hours." She said, putting out her bottom lip for effect.

Groaning, Adrien looked down at her. "Really Marinette? Right now? Seriously! If we don't hurry we will be swarmed by the time we want to leave!" He groaned, looking around the shop before back at the pleading female. After painfully avoiding her gaze for a few seconds, he let out a deep sigh. "Fine, but I get to pick the movie. There ain't no way I am watching some girly chick flick." Adrien groaned, walking down the next aisle which had all the candy in it.

As he turned the corner the group of women that had been around the corner taping them froze, staring blank faced at Adrien. Groaning again, he looked at them, and with one snap of a camera they were off running. "Let's hurry." He mumbled, dragging her down the row of sweets.

Adrien already knew what he wanted, and so sweeping up a huge pack of gummy bears, a pack of sour gummies, two gigantic sleeves of pocky, and a gigantic cookies and cream chocolate bar, he waited for her to make her selection. Grabbing more of the sour gummies, Marinette also added caramel filled small chocolates, M&M's, and some Laffy Taffy. "Let's go before we get too noticed." She added, dumping her candy into his arms as she headed for the checkout.

Jumping right into express, Adrien tried to ignore the stares that the lady behind the counter was giving him. The grin on her face was triumphant, as the rest of the cashiers glared at her. With her ten gallon smile, she looked at Adrien, seeing straight through Marinette as if she wasn't even there. "Is this all?" She asked, raising her eyebrow and biting her lip.

"Yes, that will be all mam." Adrien grumbled in a monotone voice, grasping the bag she was trying to hold back from him and grabbing Marinette's arm. "Let's go before the press show up and attack us with microphones and camera's.

Silent as ever, Marinette let him drag her to the door of the store, which inevitably lead to a mob of all sorts of women screaming and trying to get to him. Apparently, whoever was in the store had sent a mass group message to every single woman in France, who were now showing up at the store. "Great…." He grumbled, giving his fans a smile as he tried to go around the large mass of girls.

Marinette was pretty much getting suffocated in the pile, the only thing attaching her to him was his firm grasp around her arm. But even that was a struggle. "Adri-en!" Marinette cried, trying to keep herself pressed against him in the swarm of girls. With a sharp tug, he drew Marinette closer, and he pulled her into his arms, princess style. "There you are, M'lady." He jested, award winning smile flashing as he jogged to her bike. Throwing on her helmet, Marinette tried to hide her blush as he practically tossed her onto the bike. Shoving the bag into the seat, Adrien hopped on behind her, arms wrapping around her waist.

"Go!" He yelled, closing his eyes as he prepared for her to go racing off without him. "Not until you have a helmet on." She yelled back, still starting the engine. "Marinette, if we don't go now, we are going to be swallowed by women." Adrien pointed out, his grasp tightening around her.

"Fine! I'm going! Just don't let go!" She yelled, revving the bike up again and doing a sharp U turn. As soon as Marinette's bike hit the street, she was off and driving, weaving back through the traffic. Cars were honking behind her, but even then they were still hot on their tail.

"I am going to try and lose them!" She yelled, ducking her head down a bit as she veered sharply to the left. Her bike slid across the pavement with ease, and in a moment she was back upright again, racing along the sidewalk and the street. A few fangirls were still following them, but they were quickly lost in the sea of cars.

Marinette didn't loosen her grip on the handlebars until they were safely parked in the garage of her apartment. By that time, her legs were shaking with exertion, and she turned off the bike numbly. A dry laugh escaped her throat.

"Well that was… new." She mumbled, feeling Adrien's arms unlock from her waist as he stepped off the bike. Taking off her helmet numbly, Marinette put down the kickstand and got off her bike. She had a few red scratches dotting her cheeks from the vicious women, and a few scuffs on her jacket. Keeping the silence, she grabbed the bag of groceries, heading towards the building.

The silence continued until the two of them were inside her apartment. Adrien tossed his helmet back where she had gotten it from, and she went to put away the nutella. She was about to enter the kitchen when his hand touched her shoulder.

Being forced to slowly turn around, she looked up at Adrien, who's usually wonder filled eyes were filled with regret. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen." He mumbled, his thumb running across her cheek where there was a red scratch. Blushing slightly, Marinette tucked her hair back and shrugged. "It's nothing, really. I have been through worse." She lied, offering somewhat of a smile.

Adrien, still looking distraught, let go of her cheek and he shuffled off his jacket. "Yeah, but you still might want a bandaid for that." He said, wandering towards her bathroom. "You do have some in here, right?" Adrien asked as he tried to decide what drawer it was in. Contemplating his choice, Adrien looked around the bathroom, trying not to pick the drawer that might have personal or sanitary items in it.

"Second drawer down." Marinette mumbled, rubbing her face as she brought the rest of the candy to her coffee table. Taking a moment to straighten out the room, she flopped down on the fluffy cushions of her couch. Crossing her legs, she watched Adrien walk in with a bandage between his fingers.

Sitting down next to her legs, much closer than Marinette's brain wanted, he unwrapped the small object, before sliding it across the cut. "There." He said, looking down at her. His fingers lingered around the bandage, his eyes casting down towards his lap.

"I should have pulled you out quicker, or kept my helmet on. I knew it would get us in trouble like that." He mumbled, looking out the window.

Marinette, quick to take to action against the depressed Adrien, grasped his shoulders firmly. "Hey, hey, it's not your fault that you you look like something out of an art gallery. That's just what you were born with. And besides, it's not like I mind taking a little bit of a beating for a friend." Marinette said, gently bumping his shoulder with her fist.

Looking up at her, Adrien was meet with her ocean eyes, and he was instantly captured by her serenity, sincerity, and beauty. She was like an undisturbed pool of water, warm and accepting, not minding a single ripple that went through the surface. He wanted to kiss her. His instincts told him to kiss her. He had even leaned in a few inches. But the sheer panic that arose on her face made his mind snap back into reality. He was engaged, and she was his friend. Friends did not go around kissing other friends while they had a fiance. Instead, Adrien leaned into her ear, like he was going to tell her something. "How about watching some cheesy comedy movies?" He whispered into her ear, his tone slightly suggestive, even though the sentence was entirely innocent.

Her body erupted in giggles, and she shoved him away from her chest. Her heart was still pounding from him leaning close to her, but his new mood, or rather his usual one of flirtatiousness and teasing brought her out of it. "Sure, why not. Just no horror movies." She said, making him pinky promise before settling down in front of the TV and turning on Netflix.

* * *

It must have been hours since Adrien and Marinette had started the movie. A few bags of popcorn and at the least three bags of candy later, she had changed into her pajamas and Adrien had put on one of her pajama shirts as well. Blankets wrapped around the two of them, Adrien had draped his arm loosely around her, tugging her close when a scary part of the movie came on. Somehow Adrien had convinced a very tired Marinette to watch a terrifying movie with him, and she was now huddled up against his side as they watched. Her hair was all ruffled from tucking her head into his armpit, but she was too terrified to care.

Finally, at the end of the movie, Adrien had wrapped his arms all the way around her, even as she trembled. Turning off the tv, he let the silence settle into the room, even though Marinette's soft sobs vibrated against his chest. Patting her head, Adrien let out a yawn. "It's alright. I'm here. Nothing is going to come for you." Adrien mumbled, his tired eyes blinking lazily as he looked around him. The lights of Paris twinkled in the distance. Normally he would have started patrolling, but he figured a day off wouldn't hurt either of them, considering how much grief they had gone through just trying to patch it all up.

Considering it didn't seem like Marinette would stop shaking anytime soon, Adrien swooped her into his arms, standing up from the couch with a grunt. Empty candy wrappers were strew about the living room, not that either cared right now. Flicking on the light, Adrien walked towards her cosy looking bed, setting her down. "It's late. You need to get some sleep." Adrien mumbled, sitting himself next to her. For someone who tried to be so tough, she melt at the sheer sight of a horror movie. Maybe it was the sleepiness making her vulnerable, or she just really hated them. Either way, the bike riding, gung ho, could kill with one glare woman was now reduced to a shriveling mess, and his body didn't want to leave her. Her cushy bed drew him in, and he was so tempted to just wrap her up and fall into the darkness.

"No." Marinette said definitely, her grasp on his shirt tightening. "There is no way I am falling asleep with the possibility of that, that THING being around." She blubbered, looking up at him. With a groan, Adrien looked down at her. "Look, I'll stick around until you fall asleep. I will make sure that nothing comes out to get us, all right?" He asked, looking down at her.

Putting out her lip, Marinette looked up at him through glassy orbs. "But what happens after I fall asleep and I am all defenseless?" She asked him, her hands still grasping his shirt. Groaning, Adrien rubbed his eyes. "You know what, fine. This doesn't mean anything between us, just because you got scared of that movie." Adrien grumbled, scooting himself to the top of her headrest.

Crawling into the bed, Marinette snuggled up against him. "I should have never brought up that movie." Adrien grumbled to himself, pulling up the covers as he laid down to sleep, or until Marinette had fallen asleep. The clock next to her bed read that it was somewhere between 2 and 3 in the morning. Grumbling slightly, Adrien let Marinette snuggle up against his chest, arms wrapped around her. 'Thank god my fiance is out of town. I'll remind her tomorrow morning to never mention this or I will have my ass handed too me and that will be the end of my engagement.' He thought to himself as he held the shaking Marinette.

All too soon, the girl in his arms had stopped shaking, her shaking breaths becoming deeper as she fell asleep. Face as angelic as possible, in what little light was streaming through the windows, Adrien took a moment to get up and turn off the light. The dark suited him much better than the light did. Walking back towards the bed, Adrien noticed a little black dot with green eyes sitting on the edge of the bed. "Go to sleep Plagg. It's late." Adrien grumbled, sitting down on the bed next to him. However, even as Adrien sat down, Plagg's gaze was kept on Marinette.

"I don't know why you are so conflicted about this. Just kiss the woman already. Not like your fiance would know." He grumbled, looking at the sleeping angel. "Besides, you are much happier with her than you are with Cora right now." Plagg pointed out, looking down at her.

"But I can't just do that to Cora. It wouldn't be right to go do something behind her back. Besides, Marinette knows. I can't just crush her soul like that and have her willingly know I was going back on my marriage to kiss her." Adrien pointed out, sliding back into bed. "If this is the only way I can be with her, so be it. One day, she will watch me get married, and I will do the same. I'll keep watch over her, like a brother. But I can never be the man she loves, not now, not with me being the person I am. A model, a superhero, and a married man. Get some sleep Plagg." Adrien said, finally finishing his speech and rolling over into Marinette, and placing a soft kiss on her head. Soon enough, his breaths evened out too and he slipped into sleep.

"Is he asleep?" The soft voice of the Ladybug kwami asked as she peeked out from the closet. "Finally." Plagg agreed, motioning for her to come out of their hiding spot. "Man, I can't believe you let him tell another girl our secret! Do you know how dangerous that is! Especially now that his lady is back!" Tikki chastised Plagg.

"Tikki, for all I knew, and for all he knew, Ladybug could have been dead. She could have died in the mass shootings years ago, she could have been kidnapped, she could have been killed by a lot of things. And after seven years, we gave up hope. Just like he did with his mom. There was no hoping she would ever come back, but here she is. And he is lying right next to her and he doesn't even know it." Plagg grumbled.

Looking back down at the two, Tikki sighed. "Poor Adrien and Marinette. This was not how it was supposed to go." She grumbled. "Guess this is going to be a little bit harder now that we have Cora in the mix.

Plagg nodded numbly. "And I have a feeling once they connect the dots, we might have a very powerful akuma on our hands."

* * *

 **Oh boy this was a hell of a chapter. It has like, 7000 words in it. It took a long, loooong time to write, but I hope it was ok. My style might have changed a bit, since I am trying to improve it. Anyway, hope you like it, I found my groove again, but let's not talk about my grades groove (those were awful.)**

 **Anyway, don't forget to fave and follow, and thank you to all those who have, and have been leaving nice reviews for me. So thank you once again.**

 **Ice out**


	10. Chapter 9-Akuma Adventure

**After my first quarter of college, a hellish few months, and some working here and there there is a new chapter. I wish the ending was better, I wish it all was better but you all deserved something for sticking around so long. So, here you go. Thank you for being faithful.**

 **The plot and Cora are mine, Miraculous Ladybug doesn't belong to me.**

* * *

Another lazy morning dawned on Paris, once again revealing the sun's bright rays over the land.. However, for Marinette it was more of a curse than a blessing. Usually she would just sleep through it, but the absence of the blinds made it especially difficult to see past.

Luckily for her, even with the windows uncovered some sun had been blocked. By what? Probably a pillow. Marinette needed it to block more of the light. Grasping out for the soft cushion, Marinette pulled it closer, though it was already pressed against her chest. She felt around the defined muscle structure outlining of whatever this pillow was. Since when did she even have a pillow that was body size? And warm.

Marinette gasped lightly, her eyelids flying open. Her gaze was cast upon the bare patch of skin from the thing in front of her, his soft breaths still cascading against the back of her neck. His shirt smelled like her, but with a hint of someone else. The long blond tresses falling towards her eyes, Marinette looked up to be greeted with a handsome face of one of her best friends. Her conveniently married good friend.

Face flushing bright red, a squeal left her lips. Marinette found herself recoiling as best she could, her head smashing against his chin and her back slamming his arms.. Groaning, Adrien slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the flustered girl in front of him. Rubbing his hand across his eyes, Adrien reached one hand up towards the sky. "Morning." He mumbled, closing his eyes and rolling over. It took him a few moments to take in his surroundings, the smell of lavender that clung to his nose and the unfamiliar feet brushing against his legs.

Looking over his shoulder, Adrien spotted a red faced Marinette, who was trying to hide her cheeks from Adrien. Flushing himself, Adrien jumped away from Marinette, his limbs tangling in her sheets. Soon gravity took over and Adrien promptly yanked the blankets and Marinette off the bed. With a slap his back hit the wood, and the other weight smacked into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Wheezing out a breath, Adrien looked up at Marinette who was now nose to nose with him. Pausing, Adrien tried to fight the redness climbing up his neck and ears, yet it was futile. Warm breaths washed over him as the long unbearable silence drew on, his shining emerald eyes latched onto her sky blue ones. Biting her lip, Marinette diverted her gaze, and Adrien did so too.

"Uh, sorry about that." Adrien said, pulling his hair gently. Shuffling around underneath her, Adrien looked up at her, trying to figure out a way to gracefully get them both up without dumping her on the floor.

"Please don't kill me." Adrien mumbled before wrapping his arms snugly around her. Standing up, he flipped Marinette into his arms, holding her close to his chest. Smiling sheepishly at her, he walked back over to her bed and set her down. "There." He said, taking the blankets off the floor and putting them over her.

"Uhmm, thanks." Marinette said, sitting up and looking at him. Adrien shuffled his feet, coughing slightly. He was still wearing her shirt, pajama shirt to be exact. Looking around, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I am just going to give this back to you, and then, uh, head out." He mumbled, turning his back to her.

The heat was rising in both their cheeks as Adrien stripped her shirt off easily. Marinette had a fantastic view from the bed of his back, which was probably just as muscular as his chest. Averting her eyes, Marinette looked up at him, and then back down at her hands.

"Adrien, we… I… Let's just never mention this gain, and forget it happened." She mumbled getting up. Looking around, she spotted Adrien's shirt sitting on the chair of her sewing table.

Shuffling the blankets, Marinette got up and went to the table, picking up his shirt. Coughing slightly, she walked back towards him, shirt in hand. "Adrien…." She said cautiously, walking towards him. "I want something to be very clear…."

Turning back to her, Adrien looked up. "Yeah, go ahead Mari." Looking down and seeing his shirt, he reached out for it, but she held it close to her chest. Close to her exposed collar, her warm skin.

He averted his eyes again.

"This means nothing between us." She stated clearly, looking down at the shirt. Her hands were folded into it tightly, like she was trying to distract herself. Well, she was. His bronzed and perfectly toned model worthy chest was not the easiest to look away from. "This can't become a thing, I don't have the heart to get between the two of you." She sighed, bringing her palm up to her eye.

"Look, I don't want thing to get complicated, I mean with me in the picture as a friend there probably already are. If she knew what had happened, things would get worse."

"But what if she just, didn't know." Adrien asked, looking around. He really didn't want to do this, but the reminder of how warm Marinette was, and how good everything smelled, and how whole he felt, he didn't want to throw it away.

Shaking her head, Mari looked over at Adrien. Shoving the shirt forcefully into his chest, she looked him in the eye for the first time that morning. "NO, that isn't an option. It's filthy, weak, and dishonest. I could never live knowing that I was stealing someone who belongs to someone else." Marinette said, pulling her hands away from his chest.

"This doesn't happen again, ever Adrien." Marinette stressed, pushing him away from her bed and towards the door. She pulled it open with her other hand, starring Adrien down. "I would love to think of us as friends, but until you have your head on straight again, I would suggest spending some time alone." She stated, giving a taught smile before slamming the door on the shirtless Adrien.

The man outside her door was baffled, his mouth hanging open. He knew Mari was protective, but he didn't think she would go that far. Looking around, he looked down at the rumpled shirt, and slid it on, ruffling his hair. 'Man.' He thought, looking around, 'I should try and distract myself with Ladybug.' He mumbled.

* * *

Ladybug was waiting atop their rooftop that night, the wind ruffling her ribbons. It had been a wild day to say the least. Waking up to the warm skin of Adrien and then, well, falling on him didn't make getting him out of her mind easy. She had liked him way back when, and it seemed those feelings were crawling back, but stronger. They were adults now, above all this does he like me and how can I confess. Things tended to just, happen. And Mari wasn't going to let that happen.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ladybug turned to see her fellow partner in crime just waiting for her, smug smile and everything. "Well well well, who let the cat out of the bag?" She asked, a grin forming across her features. Tipping his head in a formal bow, Chat looked up at her. "That would be you Milady. Somehow I always seem to know when you need me most."

That was a total lie. Adrien had been out the evening to try and get some thinking time to himself, or a distraction. Mari's words had stuck with him all day, through the photo shoot, and even when he was at home. He couldn't eat any more nutella without thinking about her. The damn woman was invading his brain one cell at a time.

And then there was Ladybug. She didn't know about his fiance, and she was just her beautiful perfect self, now with much shorter hair. But he couldn't just jump straight into the flirting, not with the shit he had pulled before.

Looking back at him, Ladybug offered up a small smile. "Well then, let's get started on patrol shall we. Might need to get back into the rhythm." She said, stepping up to the edge of the roof. Chat was quick to join her, his toes dangling off the edge.

"Well, considering what I know, I am seeing that a lot of things changed." He said, pressing his lips into a smile. Looking back at him, Ladybug sighed, a hint of sadness once again gracing her vision. "A lot has…." She added, before taking out her yoyo.

"Last one to the tower is a rotten egg." She challenged, before leaping off the roof fearlessly. Staring after her, Chat had to wonder for a few moments. 'Since when is she so carefree?' He thought, grinning as he lept off afterwards. Staff out, he basically pole vaulted from rooftop to rooftop. He chased after his lady, just like old times. No drama, no marriage, no ties. Just him, her, and the rooftops of paris.

It had been a week since their first escapade across Paris, and not much had happened. Every night they would patrol the city, half watching, half racing across the grid like streets. Leaping over yet another rooftop, Ladybug heaved a sigh. She was no closer to being over this whole, still kind of liking Adrien thing. And tomorrow they had their first fitting. Which meant seeing him again. They had been on a silence for a while now, but as far as she knew, his fiance wasn't at home.

Looking out over the rooftops, she let out a soft sigh. "It's been a long week. A good week, but a long one." She mumbled, running her hands over her head. Short locks whipping around, Ladybug looked over at her partner, Chat Noir. Things had gotten better in the last week. Granted, it wasn't what they had before, but she found herself opening up much easier to the new Chat Noir.

Chat grinned, looking over at her. "Yeah, it sure has. It's, sure been interesting. Like a trip to the past." He spoke sweetly, looking out at the lights. "There has been so few akuma activities though." He mumbled softly, his lips pursing together. Maybe she could help now.

"Look, I have something that needs to be, uh, addressed." He said, scratching the back of his head. "You know how I can't heal akuma's. That's just not my power. But you on the other hand…." He trailed off, fiddling with the clawed gloves. It was so embarrassing.

"Oh god, how many?" Ladybug asked, turning towards Chat. The look on her face screamed exhaustion already, and he bit down on his lip. "Maybe ten… thousand." He said softly, avoiding eye contact.

Groaning, Ladybug let her hand smear across her eyelids, pulling at the skin gently. Opening her eyes again, she looked at Chat. "Lead me to them. The faster we get started, the faster we can end this night, and get some decent sleep for once." She mumbled, flinging her yoyo up onto a nearby pole.

Sighing, Chat extended his pole. "Just follow me. I'll lead you to the safe." He mumbled, jumping off the roof.

It didn't take long to reach the little apartment. All the curtains were still drawn over the windows, but one was left conveniently left open. Landing on the windowsill, Chat slipped easily through the black flap.

At first, Ladybug was confused, but afterwards, she understood that the blacked out windows were for privacy. Following him in, Ladybug swinged straight through the curtains and rolled onto the floor.

If there was a single light in the whole room, she couldn't tell. All she could see was black. "Seems pretty fitting." Ladybug joked, but the humor was meet with silence. Coughing awkwardly, Ladybug felt around. "Chat?" She asked uneasily. After a few moments, the cool touch of Chat's suit touched her hand. "This way." Chat mumbled under his breath.

Ladybug could barely make out his blond locks and green eyes in the dark. Blinking, Ladybug let Chat guide her through the darkness. "So you really can see in the dark?" She asked curiously, hearing several clicking sounds, that sounded like locks. "Yeah, enough to make out how cute your butt looks in the suit." He joked, a devilish grin crossing his features.

Ladybug was grateful for the darkness now because she was sure her cheeks had become the color of her suit. "If I could see you, I would smack you." She grumbled, her fingernails digging into his hand. Chat didn't even flinch.

Suddenly light flooded the room. The one room with a light that was ever kept on, his safe. And that safe was sure full. Ladybug gasped at the sheer amount of jars, containers, fishtanks, anything that could seal in a creature. Each one had anywhere from one to a dozen akuma's floating around in it.

Looking next to her her, Ladybug nodded. "Good, I can see you." She affirmed before slapping his cheek hard. Chat groaned and let his weight lean against the doorway as Ladybug walked inside. His eyes followed her slim figure as her delicate fingers traced the cages. "Damn. I can't believe I didn't hear them outside the vault. It's so noisy." She grumbled.

Groaning, Chat covered one of his ears. "No kidding. After listening to them long enough, they start to sound like your worst fears. It's depressing, creepy, and terrifying all at the same time." He mumbled, sitting down on the floor. Ladybug grasped her yoyo, and looked at Chat. "Well let's see how many I can get through." She said, before starting her curing process.

* * *

Hours later, Ladybug was still trying to cure akumas. The light no longer burned bright. Ladybug looked exhausted. The moon was up by now, and Chat had been keeping a close eye on her. He had a feeling she might pass out soon. "Don't push yourself." He reminded her for the millionth time.

Sighing, Ladybug wiped the sweat from her forehead, pursing her lips. "I'm fine." She insisted, looking down at the cages. She had started on the large cages, and she had only managed to finish one.

Chat, feeling more concerned by the dripping sweat, walked towards her. "You don't look fine." He stated simply, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, that's enough. You are going to pass out if you exert yourself more." He said, looking at her.

Ladybug took a glance at Chat before looking back at the butterflies. "Just… a few… more." She mumbled, flinging her yoyo into action again. She was mid swing when her vision went dark. Her legs gave out, toppling towards the ground.

Chat leapt forwards, his arms barely swooping underneath his lady as she fell. Weight shifting, he found himself tipping onto his toes and falling right behind her, his arms the only thing to cushion her dead weight. Luckily he had moved his hand behind her head just in time.

It took Chat a couple of moments to recover from the sudden shock. Slowly blinking, Chat lifted himself off the floor. His akuma blared irritably in the background as he lifted her with all his weight. She was surprisingly more muscular than he thought.

Groaning at the sudden increase of weight on his arms, Chat looked down at the passed out ladybug. Her earrings were already showing only two dots, which meant he had little time to work with. She knew he wouldn't be happy if he saw her out of costume.

Rushing back into the dark room, Adrien let the door to the vault close. He lifted Ladybug into his arms, taking into account her weight and balancing it in his arms. He figured his way around the floor easily, laying her gently onto his bed. The springs creaked underneath the new weight. The soft light from the akuma room and the small little white butterflies were illuminating her soft features.

Chat didn't have time to waste. Shutting the safe door, he locked it quickly, maneuvering around in the darkness. He shut the blinds, flooding the room in darkness. No sooner, a flash of red flooded the room, the last of the beeping fading into the darkness. The soft flop of a small body perked his ears.

"K-Kawamii?" Chat asked uncertainly, looking around his room. He heard a faint whimper from close to his bed. Chat wandered over, keeping his eyes lidded. "Kawamii, do you need anything? Cheese perhaps?" Chat asked, his eyes still turned away from his lady. He could see well enough in the dark to be able to see the edge of a foot. Chat didn't dare look farther. All he could do was relish in her perfectly shaped feet.

"Something with sugar." Came a soft muffled voice, high and dainty, much different than Plagg's. Obviously female, and obviously starving. Chat raced towards the kitchen. There wasn't much left but some crackers and a lot of cheese, and maybe a bit of food for him. He grabbed the last bit of cookies he had, and headed back towards the bed.

Gazing at the faint light peeking through the blackout curtains, Chat gently set the cookies on the bed near where the voice had been coming from. He felt the brush of something kwamii like, and faint nibbling. Chat fount the back of the bed both relaxing and comforting as he listened to the nibbling of his ladies kwamii, and letting his lady delicate toes barely brush his long locks.

"What should I call you?" Chat asked after the nibbling had died down. Even though his gaze was set across the room, his ears were trained on the two ladies behind him.

"Tikki." Came the soft rumble from just behind his ear. "They call me Tikki. And I am sure Plagg will be joining us soon." She mentioned. As she brought it to light, the blinking of his ring became more prominent. It was the only light in the room after all.

"How do you know Plagg?" Chat asked, his gaze turning back up to the window. A small stifle of a surprised gasp came from behind him.

"Well you are Chat Noir, and she is Ladybug. We are a part of you in these forms. Of course we know each other. We chose you together. We are both opposites, and yet we work in harmony." She said beautifully, ruffling around on the bed. Chat assumed she was going to sit next to his lady.

"Well I can see that. You sure are much nicer than Plagg." Chat chuckled, the light of his ring finally giving out. With a flash, he felt Plagg flee his body, leaving him utterly blind and sitting on the floor. Flopping his arms in his lap, Adrien groaned.

"Speak of the devil." Adrien mumbled, pulling up his knees. He felt drained just watching Ladybug do her thing, and from transforming back. A nap would do him some good. But Adrien was in no mood to look for the couch. Not without light.

Adrien let his head slump against the small section of bed that was left, the sound of Plagg complaining to Tikki fading into the background. After so many years of complaining, Adrien had gotten used to tuning it out when he needed to.

Drifting in and out of sleep, Adrien found himself quite uncomfortable while sitting on the floor. Not like his couch was much better. The couch probably had piles of dust on it after all the passing time with no use. It was a nice couch appearance wise, but comfortability was questionable.

At some unknown hour of the night, once Adrien had finally fallen asleep, Marinette was stirring. Soft groans of pain, coupled with a couple cusses rang out behind him. Her toes reached out, searching for whatever the hell was brushing against her foot. It was tickling her.

The sound of Adrien's body slumping against the floor sure as hell startled the both of them. With a yelp from Marinette and a groan from Adrien, the two of them started searching blindly in the dark.

"M'Lady?" Adrien asked, his hands searching around in the dark. Without Plagg Adrien was as good as blind in the dark. He couldn't see a thing. Neither could Marinette. This is probably why they found themselves smacking foreheads. Another series of yelps.

"Chat?" Marinette asked wearily, rubbing her forehead as she looked around.

"Here Milady." Adrien mumbled, realizing they weren't that far apart. He could feel her breaths against his nose.

Grasping out for her, Adrien found her shoulder. He then found her hand, which was currently supporting her. Adrien knew he shouldn't even be considering anything with Cora in his life. She was supposed to be his everything. But all he could think about right now was his lady.

Lifting her hand, Adrien pressed a gentle and chivalrous kiss against her knuckles. He heard a chuckle come from her lips.

"Always the valiant knight." Marinette mumbled, letting herself lean back. Their hands were still interlocked, and Chat let her grip take him up onto the bed. His lady didn't seem to want to let go, so he assumed she didn't mind.

"Only for you Milady." He mumbled, looking down at her, or where she was. He hoped he was getting this whole 'partners but kind of more' thing right. It was a little confusing, but he had noticed a subtle change from all those years. Now she seemed to be more gentle, but at the same time tougher.

"Oh stop it Chat. You are that way always." Marinette stated clearly, grinning as she brought her partner up to sit next to her. "What happened to me anyway. I thought we were cleansing akuma's today. Why am I sitting in your bed?" She asked, looking around. "And why is it dark?"

"We were cleansing Akuma's, but you passed out. You over exerted yourself. So I brought you in here. And we de transformed, so I blocked out all the lights. I know you want to keep who you are a secret." He mumbled, pulling his legs up onto the bed. His foot brushed her leg.

Marinette felt a jolt as Chat's foot touched her leg. She let herself relax into it. It was somewhat comforting to know the boundaries here could be muddled. There was nothing in the way of making a move on Chat. He had certainly pursued it in the past, she did not know what he thought now.

Things certainly had changed between them since she had come back. She had felt closer to him. Maybe it was the distance. Maybe it was longing for something solid, something real in a place where she had to lie on every occasion. No one knew she was Ladybug, except for Chat. He knew who she was, just without a face or a name.

Marinette shifted along the bed to give Chat more room. Their legs were tangled together. A sign of comfort to the both. Adrien adjusted himself to fit on the bed.

"Are you sure you are alright? You did hit your head pretty hard against the ground." Adrien mumbled, his hands circling around the skin of her thigh. Marinette sighed and flopped back towards her bed.

"I mean that would explain why my head's pounding." Marinette mumbled, her hand reaching out for Adriens. Marinette found his fingers and yanked him towards her, pulling his head into her lap.

Adrien kept himself quiet not quite so confident himself now that he had changed back. As much as he loved cat puns, his brain was out of them at the moment. It didn't help that his lady was starting to run her hands through his hair.

A soft hum escaped Adrien's lips as he laid his head against his Lady. Her hands were smaller without the gloves, but he could still feel her calloused skin pulling at his longer blonde locks. He let out a deep breath, his muscles relaxing into his lady.

"You have a way with your hands Milady." Adrien practically purred, his hands crossing over his stomach. A comfortable silence stretched between the two. Between Marinette running her hands through his hair, and the exhaustion from trying to cleanse the akuma the rest was needed.

"Your hair is quite soft." Marinette mumbled, tugging on his locks gently. "What are you, some kind of model?" She asked jokingly, closing her eyes. Adrien hummed softly, his hand reaching for his Ladies.

"Well you might be right, you might be wrong. Who knows. All you know is that I am a man with very soft hair." He mumbled back, holding one of her hands hostage briefly. He tugged it down for a kiss.

A soft giggle passed through the room. Then the silence resumed, aside from the soft inhales and exhales. It lasted for eternity.

"I should probably go home soon." Marinette spoke softly into his ears. Adrien hummed, keeping her hand under wraps. "It's fine Milady. I won't peak. Just take a nap here. You can leave whenever you want." He mumbled, nuzzling into her thigh. Marinette giggled.

"Maybe just for a little while kitty. I'll leave before sunrise." She mumbled, leaning back onto the bed. No longer sitting, Marinette let herself curl up at the top of the bed, hugging the pillows close to her head. Fearing she would hit him, Adrien let himself take the other side, his back pressed gently against hers.

"Night, Milady." Adrien mumbled quietly, letting his brain doze.


End file.
